Kerala businessman wins USD 1 million in Dubai Duty Free draw

An Indian ex-pat from Kottayam, Kerala living in Dubai has reportedly become a millionaire after he won the lottery at the Dubai Duty-Free Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise promotions held at Dubai Duty-Free Head Office in Ramool. Paraparambil George Varghese secured the amount of US $1 million in DDF Millennium Millionaire draw Series 328 with ticket number 1017.  

The event was held in the presence of Dubai Duty-Free's Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Colm McLoughlin, Chief Operating Officer, Ramesh Cidambi, and Salah Tahlak, Executive Vice President - Corporate Services. While another participant, Mike McKinney, a 57-year-old British national based in Singapore won a Bentley Benteyga V8 (Onyx Black) in Series 1750 with ticket number 1888. A resident of Singapore for 7 years now, McKinney worked as a sub-sea manager for an offshore company, as per Dubai’s local media reports. 

Speaking in a telephone interview with a leading media outlet in Dubai, the Kerala based businessman, currently residing in India was quoted saying that he was extremely grateful for the win, considering the challenging circumstances prevailing in the world with the coronavirus pandemic and the business had all halted. Further revealing his plans, he said, he would be dividing the funds to help those in need amid the hardships during the COVID-19 outbreak, as news of many migrant workers struggling and those starving has come up. The share would be used to help the vulnerable section in the society and for people who are financially broke, he added. 

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Wants to help "the needy"

Working in the construction sector for over the years, the Kerala businessman told the leading local media outlet that he would like to invest some amount in the business. However, he said most of the funds would be put aside for his kids, son, Brian Kurian, and daughter, Bella Ann Kurian to secure their future. Almost Rs 76 million in Indian currency, the amount has reportedly come as a delight and relief to the middle-class family who said that they had not imagined winning when they started buying the DDF Millennium Millionaire tickets since last year, October.

Among the other four winners were a Kuwaiti national won a BMW MB50i xDrive (Adventurine Red) in Series 1751, as per media reports, while a 51-year-old Swiss national based in Geneva, won a Range Rover Sport HSE 5.5 522 HP (Fuji White). An Egyptian ex-pat Omar Aboushady won an Indian Chief Darkhorse motorbike and one other Indian ex-pat won a BMW.  

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