Indian driver in UAE wins Rs 10 crore jackpot after buying lottery tickets every month for 15 years

Indian driver in Sharjah wins Rs 10 crore lottery jackpot. (AI-generated representative image)

What if a small habit you kept for years suddenly changed your life? For one Indian driver in the UAE, that unlikely moment has finally arrived. After buying a lottery ticket almost every month for 15 years, Vibeesh Palliyali, a Sharjah-based pickup driver, has won the Dh15 million (approx Rs 37 crore) Big Ticket jackpot in Abu Dhabi.

For Palliyali, who has spent years working long hours behind the wheel, the win now offers something he had hoped for all along, the chance to return to India and settle down with his family. The prize will be shared with three others, leaving him with about Dh4 million, around Rs 10 crore.

As reported by Khaleej Times, Palliyali had already purchased one set of tickets earlier in February while travelling to India. However, the ticket that eventually brought him the jackpot was bought later in the month after relatives urged him to join them.

Explaining how the purchase happened, Palliyali said he had not originally planned to spend more money on tickets that month. He revealed, “On February 28, my cousin and two of his friends called me asking to take a ticket with them. I tried telling them that I had already spent my budget this month, but they kept begging me. I took the ticket so as not to let them down. I purchased it at 8 pm online. That is the ticket that brought me luck.”

The life-changing moment came while Palliyali was still going about his normal work routine. He was driving when the organisers of the draw contacted him with the news. Because he had received similar calls before, he initially assumed it was simply another promotional message from the company.

He further said, “Since I am a regular customer, I usually get a call from the company. But they usually call in the middle or the end of the month, saying that there are offers on tickets. I wondered why they would call me at the beginning of the month in the evening.”

The unexpected message left him unsure whether the news was real. To confirm the claim, he decided to check with his family. He added, “Afterwards, I called my wife and said that I got a call. She checked online immediately and then told me that my name was on the website as the winner.”

For Palliyali, buying a ticket every month had become a long-standing routine over the years. But keeping up with that habit was not always easy on a driver’s salary. He admitted that spending money on tickets sometimes caused disagreements at home, “Many times, my wife would complain that she could use that money for other things. Some months, I wouldn't even tell her that I had bought the ticket.”

Despite those challenges, Palliyali continued to buy tickets month after month for 15 years. Palliyali has spent nearly two decades working in the UAE. Like many expatriate workers, he moved there in search of better opportunities and to support his family back home in India. He expressed, “Now, I want to go back to India and settle down. So this money will definitely help with that.”

Now, the prize money has opened the door to a different future. After years of working on the road, Palliyali plans to return to India and settle down. A significant part of the winnings will also go towards securing the future of his daughter, Vandana, who is currently studying in Bengaluru.

Disclaimer: This report is based on third-party news reports. Moneycontrol has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.