Renjith Somarajan, a Dubai-based Indian driver, hit the jackpot by winning 20 million dirhams in the Abu Dhabi Big Ticket draw on July 3.
The 37-year-old man reportedly buying jackpot tickets for the past three years was declared the winner, along with nine other associates.
Somarajan said he had never thought he would hit the jackpot. “I was expecting to bag the second or third prize,” said Renjith.
“This time, the second and third prizes were 3 million and 1 million dirhams, respectively.”
Somarajan said that he was back home from Hatta with his wife Sanjivani Perera and their son Niranjan. When he stopped at the traffic signal, the second and third prizes were being announced. As there was a mosque on his way near the vegetable market, he prayed to the almighty to win this time.
“Something triggered my mind while driving through the vegetable market, and hence I returned to the mosque,” shared Somarajan. “Believe it or not, my eight-year-old son, who was following the live event, screamed in joy when the ticket number was called out.”
The organisers also wrote a post dedicating to Somarajan’s winning on Facebook. The post read, “Congratulations to Renjith Somarajan from India for his winning. He won AED 20 million against ticket no. 349886.
After winning the lottery jackpot, Somarajan also received several congratulatory calls from his friends and well-wishers.
Renjith Somarajan, who left his home in the Kollam district of Kerala in 2008, started working for Dubai Taxi and other companies to support himself. He also “worked as driver-cum-salesman with a company last year, but with the salary deduction due to Covid-19, it has been a difficult life for me,” he was quoted as saying. Now he hopes to have a bit relaxed life as he will share the winning amount with other nine people who are from different countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh etc.
