A Bahrain nurse has become an overnight millionaire after winning the jackpot of 30 million UAE dirhams (BD3,075,990) in the first Abu Dhabi Big Ticket raffle draw of 2025.
Manu Mohanan, a National Ambulance paramedic at the Isa Town Civil Defence, bought the winning ticket (535948) online on December 26.
He will share the prize money with 16 other people who collectively contributed to purchasing the ticket, said the 33-year-old Indian national who has been residing in Bahrain for seven years.
“We have been buying the ticket for more than five years now,” Mr Mohanan told the GDN.
The winning ticket was part of a free entry obtained in a promotion which offers one complimentary ticket for every two purchased.
The draw, held on Friday evening, saw Mr Mohanan’s name emerge from the drum, marking the largest prize giveaway by the lottery operator this year.
Until his win, Mr Mohanan’s biggest worry was how he could afford the tickets for his entire family to travel home.
“When the hosts called me, I knew the call was genuine because I have watched the live draw several times,” he said.
“However, I didn’t feel excited. I was just numb. My mind still has not registered it. I have had a very a tough life so this kind of windfall was something completely unexpected.”
Mr Mohanan, who was on duty when the call came, was shocked.
On a video call later, he shared the good news with all those who had chipped in for the ticket.
“Some of them had tears in their eyes,” he said.
“All of us will be able to repay our debts and maybe even build a house. It is truly life-changing for us. All these men are like my brothers. We are colleagues and we know each other’s problems very well. The group even includes some people who left our workplace but still pitched in to buy the ticket.”
Mr Mohanan then called his wife and mother. His mother came to Bahrain four months ago when his wife delivered their first child.
“In March, my mother needs to return home and we were thinking of taking our annual vacation to take our son to a temple in India,” he said.
“My wife is also a nurse. Bringing her to Bahrain, attesting her certificates and getting her a job was financially very taxing for us.
“I was wondering how I will be able to afford tickets for all four of us and then manage the expenses in India as well. Now, I am just speechless.”
Mr Mohanan said they nearly didn’t buy the ticket.
“None of us could really afford the ticket but we kept cutting our expenses and finding the money to put towards this,” he said.
“Last year, we went through a lull and stopped buying the ticket. But there was one person from our group who pushed me into taking it up again.
“We restarted about five months ago and, finally, we hit the jackpot.”
He said the first thing he wants to do is buy something for his mother. “My father divorced my mother when I was just one year old,” he said.
“She has struggled a lot to single-handedly raise me.
“At one point, she has even carried bricks and stones to make sure I got a good education. Now, at this stage of life, I have got this money and I want to give her a relaxed life.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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