Indian man and his associates win 20 million dirham jackpot in UAE: report
Dubai, Jul 4: A 37-year-old Indian man and nine of his associates from different countries have hit a jackpot by winning a whopping 20 million dirham (approximately Rs 40 crore) in a raffle draw in the UAE, according to a media report.
Renjith Somarajan, who hails from Kerala and works as a driver in Abu Dhabi, has been purchasing tickets for the past three years, including winning the jackpot while he was right in front of a mosque, the Khaleej Times reported on Saturday.
I never thought I would hit the jackpot and had always pinned my hopes on the second and third, Somarajan was quoted as saying in the report.
He said this time the second and third prizes were 3 million dirham and 1 million dirham.
Somarajan's phone is now buzzing with congratulatory calls from friends and loved ones.
He said it has been a tough life for him so far while hopping jobs in hope of a better salary.
I have been here since 2008. I worked as a driver with Dubai Taxi and different companies. Last year, I worked as driver-cum-salesman with a company but with my salary deduction, it was a difficult life, Somarajan added.
Somarajan will be sharing the amount with nine others whom he gathered only recently.
We are a total of 10 people. Others are from different countries, like India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. They work in the valet parking of a hotel. We took the ticket under the buy two and get one free' offer. Each person pooled 100 dirhams. The ticket was taken in my name on June 29. What I can tell others is to continue trying your luck. I was always sure that my lucky day would come. I was always sure the almighty would bless me one day, he said.
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases. Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
