Indian driver in UAE wins lottery worth Rs 33 crore
Dubai, Dec 24: An Indian driver in the UAE has won Dirhams 15 million (Rs 33 crore) as the grand prize in a weekly lottery.
Ajay Ogula, 31, who has been working for a jewellery establishment, hit the jackpot after he purchased two tickets for his first-ever participation with Emirates Draw EASY6.
Currently working as a driver at a jewellery firm, Ogula came to the UAE four years from his village in southern India.
"During a random conversation with my boss, I mentioned reading about someone winning a handsome amount with Emirates Draw, to which my boss advised that you keep wasting money here and there, so why not use it instead on an opportunity like this'," he was quoted as saying by the Gulf News.
Following his employer's advice, Ogula installed the Emirates Draw mobile app and purchased two lottery tickets, it said.
As the eldest child, he felt obligated to support his family, including an ageing mother and two younger siblings who reside in an old, rented house.
"I was out with my friend when I received the congratulatory email. I thought, perhaps it's a smaller winning amount, but when I started reading, the zeroes kept adding up, and I practically lost my mind when I learned the final figure," he said.
Ogula plans to invite his family members to Dubai and then build a house for them in their village and also start a construction company to become self-sufficient, the report said.
"Congratulations to our Grand Prize winner, Ajay Ogula, on his epic win. Emirates Draw is not just about numbers and winners; it is about making a difference in people's lives and has been the goal from day one and will remain at the heart of all we do," said Mohammad Behroozian Alawadhi, Managing Partner, Emirates Draw.
"Our entire team is ecstatic for Ajay Ogula, and we are confident that this win will positively change his life and all the people around him," he said.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
