Lady Luck has smiled on an Indian-origin woman Nishitha Radhakrishna Pillai as she won a whopping AED10 million (approx. INR17 crore) in the Big Ticket Raffle held at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Nishitha is presently in Texas. She and her husband Rajesh Thampi, both doctors, used to work in Dubai till mid-2016 and left for Texas on a research fellowship.
Nishitha is a paediatrician and Rajesh a radiologist. The couple said this lottery was a godsend for them as they are managing the education of their children on a stipend.
"We are super excited," she said from Texas to a Dubai-based newspaper.
Nishitha's husband Rajesh used to buy tickets in her name over the past few months.
She added, “My husband used to buy tickets and never thought we will pocket such a big amount. My father called to break the news as I had given his contact number in India. He had got a call from the Big Ticket organisers from Abu Dhabi. At first, I couldn't believe it but I later checked online and it was confirmed. Everyone in the family is thrilled.”
"We will continue our fellowship and plan to come back to UAE to work afterwards," she added.
Her father Radhakrishnan, who is also a doctor and based in Malappuram district of Kerala, said, “I always believed their hard work and dedication will reap rich dividends. I, however, never realised it will be this big. I, too, had bought a couple of Big Tickets from Abu Dhabi Airport on my return from the US.”
He also pointed out that his daughter is the second Indian-origin winner of AED10 million after Yatin Raote, who won the first-ever AED10 million prize in December last year.
Also read : Indian man hits AED 7 million jackpot in Abu Dhabi
Last month, Sreeraj Krishnan Kopparembil pocketed AED7 million to become yet another winner from the 'God’s Own Country'.
