THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shipping coordinator Sreeraj Krishnan Kopparembil, 33, who won Rs 12.71 crore Abu Dhabi Big Ticket Draw, says his priority is to pay off his housing loan back home. Sreeraj, hailing from Palakkad, won the whopping Dirham 7-million jackpot on Sunday. “I just went blank for a minute when I got the call from the Big Ticket. I still cannot believe it has happened,” said Sreeraj. Sreeraj has been working in the UAE for nine years.
He earns dirham 6,000 (approx. Rs 1, 09, 000) monthly. His wife, Ashwathi, working as an administrative assistant in a private firm, also advised him to close the loan first. “I am now convinced my lucky number is 44698," he was quoted as saying by Khaleej Times. He used to be a regular buyer of the lottery but this time he had reckoned it would be his last. “As luck would have it, this is definitely my last buy," he said.
The couple said they want to continue working in the UAE. "Why would I leave this country where we got lucky? I am a mature person who wants to stay grounded," Sreeraj said. He does not have any big plans for now and wants to let the excitement settle in. Celebrations can wait.
