(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

An Indian and Afghan national have been announced as the new millionaires at the latest Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise draw, held today at Concourse D of Dubai International Airport.

Danny Telis a 47-year-old Indian national based in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia became a US$1 million winner in Millennium Millionaire Series 518 with ticket number 0542, which he purchased in Terminal 2 on September 23.

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A resident of Tabuk for more than 3 years now, Telis, who has been participating in the Dubai Duty Free promotion for 5 years, is a father of two and works as a construction manager for a firm.

“I am truly grateful for this win; it's a dream come true for me. My heartfelt thanks go to Dubai Duty Free,” he said.

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When asked about his plans, he shared“I would like to invest in Dubai. It has been my home for 13 years before moving to Saudi Arabia.”

Telis, who hails from Mumbai, is the 261st Indian national to have won US$1 million in the Millennium Millionaire promotion, with Indian nationals being by far the biggest purchasers of tickets.

Mohammad Khan Barakzai, a 44-year-old Afghan national based in Dubai who won in Millennium Millionaire Series 519 with ticket number 1700, which he purchased online on September 23.

A resident of Dubai since 2014, Barakzai, has been participating in the Dubai Duty Free promotion for 4 years now. He is a father of three and runs an interior decoration company in Business Bay.

He hails from Helmand and is the first Afghan national to have won $1 million in the Millennium Millionaire promotion since its inception in 1999.

Following the Millennium Millionaire draw, the Finest Surprise draw was conducted for three luxury vehicles.

Chinmay Joshi, a 31-year-old Indian national based in Mumbai won a Mercedes Benz S500 (Metallic Paint Obsidian) car with ticket number 0813 in the Finest Surprise Series 1935 which he purchased online on September 30.

The first-time ticket buyer works as a strategic alliance manager for a financial company in Mumbai.

"I just couldn't believe it that I have won this early. Thank you Dubai Duty Free!" he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Melwin Pontes, an Indian national based in the UAE won an Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1100 (Black Red) motorbike with ticket number 0650 in the Finest Surprise Series 640 which he purchased online on October 4.

Pontes is currently out of reach but will no doubt be delighted to learn of his win.

Seetaraman Venkataraman, a 67-year-old Indian national based in Abu Dhabi, won a BMW S 1000 XR (Black Storm Metallic) motorbike with ticket number 0953 in the Finest Surprise Series 641 which he purchased online on October 7.

A regular participant in Dubai Duty Free's promotion for 20 years, Mr. Venkataraman is a father of two and works as a business development manager for a private company in Abu Dhabi.

“Thank you very much, Dubai Duty Free. The money that I will get from selling this bike will go toward my children's college education - one is studying in the US and the other in India,” he said.

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