March winner Jahangir Alom inspired me to start buying tickets, says Sandeep
A friendly piece of advice from a Bangladeshi friend changed an Indian expat’s life forever — turning him into a millionaire overnight through Abu Dhabi’s Big Ticket raffle draw, reported gulfnews.com.
Indian expat Sandeep Kumar Prasad, a 30-year-old technician working in the shipping industry, won the Dh15 million grand prize in Big Ticket’s September draw — thanks to a tip from his friend Jahangir Alom, who had earlier won Dh20 million in the March edition.
Sandeep’s win came after three months of perseverance in the Big Ticket draw
Speaking at the Big Ticket studio, Sandeep said, “He [Jahangir] told me about Big Ticket. It’s because of him that I started trying my luck and bought tickets.” Though he couldn’t afford to participate every month, he entered the draw three times — and his persistence finally paid off when his ticket number 200669, purchased on August 19, was declared the winner.
Sandeep shared that he had bought the ticket with 20 other people and was on a call with his family when he received the life-changing news on September 3. “I couldn’t believe it at first. When I realised it was real, I was so happy,” he said, overwhelmed with emotion.
A dream come true for the Dubai-based technician
Originally from Uttar Pradesh, India, Sandeep has lived in Dubai for three years. During the studio chat, he became emotional when talking about his ailing father back home. “I now plan to return to India and give my father the best medical treatment,” he said tearfully.
The show’s host, Richard, comforted him, saying, “It’s OK. You are amazing.” Married and part of a large family with two brothers and a sister, Sandeep said he is deeply grateful for both his friend’s encouragement and the life-changing opportunity.
His message to others was heartfelt and simple: “If you buy tickets, you’re giving yourself a chance to become a millionaire. You can see the results — I won Dh15 million! Just give it a try.”
