Dubai, Sept. 29 -- In a remarkable stroke of luck, a 39-year-old Dubai-based Indian expat from Kerala won a staggering Dirham 50,000 (Rs 12,07,318) in the latest Big Ticket weekly e-draw held inAbu Dhabi.

The winner, Shiju Muthathian Veettil, who works as a bartender, claimed the prize with ticket number 062978 in draw number 279.

Veettil has been living in Dubai for 13 years and has been purchasing Big Ticket entries every month for the past eight years, often alongside a group of 11 colleagues.

"I've been waiting for this call for a long time, so hearing it after eight years of trying my luck was incredible. I plan to share the prize money with my group, and we'll continue buying tickets. My advice to others is to keep trying-one day...