₹26 lakh jackpot: Kerala watchman in UAE wins Big Ticket draw, 2 more expats also score big

A Kerala native working as a school watchman in the United Arab Emirates has struck it rich, winning Dh100,000 (₹25,97,818 approximately) in the latest Big Ticket draw. Saidalavi Kariodan Varichalil , 44, emerged as one of five lucky winners in Big Ticket Series 289.

Saidalavi, a UAE resident for 17 years, has been pooling money with friends to enter the monthly raffle over the last four years. A Gulf News report revealed that his winning ticket was picked at random by his friend Anub, catching both of them off guard.

Saidalavi got his start with Big Ticket through his friends and has consistently bought entries every month as part of a group effort. He stated that he intends to transfer his portion of the winnings straight to his family back in India.

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Even with Dh100,000 now in his account, the Kerala expat has already secured another entry for the upcoming raffle. Offering a word of encouragement to fellow dreamers, he said, “Keep hoping! Your day will come.”

2 more Kerala expats also join winners’ list

Saidalavi joined four other winners who each took home Dh100,000, bringing the overall prize pool distributed in Series 289 to Dh500,000.

The second Indian winner from Kerala, 28-year-old Akhil Chandran R P, works in sales and customer service. Based in the UAE for five years, he has been entering the Big Ticket draw alongside his friends for seven years.

A report by Khaleej Times noted that Akhil’s ticket was also chosen completely at random by a friend. He revealed that he intends to bank his winnings while already setting aside funds to grab another ticket for the next raffle cycle.

“Always buy a ticket, you don't know when your luck will come. One day you will also get lucky like us,” Akhil said.

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The third winner hailing from Kerala is 33-year-old technician Sarath Sasidharan, who has resided in the UAE since 2007. Introduced to Big Ticket by his coworkers, he regularly plays both on his own and in group entries.

Sarath’s winning numbers were picked by his mother and daughters. He expects to direct his portion of the prize pool toward his medical expenses while continuing to test his fortune in future draws.

“Thank God and keep trying,” he said. The remaining two spots on the winners' list were filled by Bangladeshi nationals Arifuzzaman Shuvo and Sabuj Md Delowar Munshi.