(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Rajan P V will be entering 2026 as a millionaire, something he never imagined even in his dreams. The 52-year-old Indian expat, who has been living in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, for three decades, won the Dh25 million Big Ticket grand prize for the month of November. The surprising part is that the winning ticket wasn't even one he paid for.“It was a free promotional ticket I received after buying two tickets with my group,” said Rajan.

Rajan, originally from Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, works as a control supervisor at oil rigs. For the last 13 years, he and 15 of his colleagues have participated in the Big Ticket draw every month. Each of them contributes Dh63, and because of ongoing promotions, the group often receives several extra tickets.“I have spent around Dh10,000 since we started participating in the draw. In total, the entire group has spent about Dh160,000. This is an investment,” he said.

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On December 3, while Rajan was out with his family, he received a call from his friends who were watching the live draw.“They told me, 'We won!' I thought they were joking,” he said.“But within a minute, Richard called, and I felt like I was floating.”

He had just reached home.“I opened the door, and the lucky call came at the same moment. It was unbelievable,” he added.

His colleagues were equally shocked.“When I told other participants, nobody believed it. For a few seconds, there was silence in our group, nobody knew how to react. It was a shocking moment for all of us,” said Rajan.

Rajan said the first thing he wants to do is divide the prize equally among all 16 members of the group.“This win belongs to all of us. We will each give a part of our share to charity,” he said.

A father of two, Rajan plans to keep his personal share simple and meaningful.“My focus is on my children's education,” he said. His son and daughter are studying in Kerala, and he hopes this win will give them a secure future.“Right now, I don't have any other plans. Everything is about my children.”

Over the years, Rajan has followed Big Ticket draws closely and has seen many winners share their stories.“We always hoped that one day our group would win. We just kept trying,” he said.

Now, after more than a decade of participating, the dream has finally come true and just in time for the new year.“It feels like a blessing. Entering the new year as a millionaire... I still cannot believe it,” said Rajan.

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