Two groups of Indians win $1 million each in Dubai Duty Free draw | World News
The Dubai Duty Free draw once again proved lucky for Indian expats living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as two separate groups have won $1 million each.ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO
10 colleagues win $1 million
Ettiyanikkal Pailybabu, a 56-year-old from Kerala, became a $1 million winner in Millennium Millionaire Series 513 with ticket number 3068 in the draw held on Wednesday at Concourse A of Dubai International Airport. Pailybabu, who has been living in Dubai for 16 years and works as a site supervisor, purchased the online ticket on August 18.
He will now share the $1 million with nine of his colleagues, who also contributed to the ticket’s cost of AED 1000 (Rs 24,000). According to Pailybabu, he and his colleagues have been regularly participating in Dubai Duty Free promotions, taking turns to put their names on the tickets.
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With his newfound fortune, Pailybabu, a father of two, said, he would “probably go back to Kerala and start a small business.”
Two groups of colleagues each won $ in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw! Ettiyanikkal Pailybabu plans a new business in Kerala, while Gopi Devarajan will invest in his children’s future. Plus, two lucky players drove away a Land Rover 🚙 and an… pic.twitter.com/JQhlhbdRIv
— Dubai Duty Free (@DubaiDutyFree) September 3, 2025
Group of four turns millionaires
Another group of Indians also became millionaires on Wednesday’s Dubai Duty Free draw. Gopi Devarajan, a 46-year-old from Tamil Nadu, won in Millennium Millionaire Series 514 with ticket number 1978, purchased online on August 14. Devarajan, a manager at a hospital in Sharjah, shared the ticket with three colleagues.
According to Devarajan, who has been a regular participant in the Dubai Duty Free draw since 2009, he and his three colleagues have been sharing the cost of the tickets for the past seven years.
Devarajan, who described his win as “unbelievable,” said, “I will definitely save this for my children’s education. I may also buy a house and start a small business.”
258 Indian millionaires since 1999
Pailybabu and Devarajan are the 257th and 258th Indian nationals, respectively, who won $1 million in the Millennium Millionaire promotion since its inception in 1999.
