Thiruvananthapuram: Dubai plane crash survivor wins $1 million jackpot

Thiruvananthapuram: Mohammad Basheer Abdul Khadar, 62, hailing from Thiruvananthapuram, who has been among the 300 people to survive the Emirates crash-land last Wednesday, has won a fortune a week later, winning $ 1 million (Rs 6.8 crore) jackpot on Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire.

The lucky ticket, number 0845, was drawn in the raffle at Concourse A at Dubai International Airport, winning him Dirham 3.67 million on Tuesday, Gulf News reported. He bought the ticket on Eid on his way for a vacation with his family in Thiruvananthapuram.

A fleet administrator with a car dealer group in Dubai, Mr Khadar used to buy a raffle ticket whenever he travelled home to Kerala. This was his 17th ticket, barely four months before retirement in December.

Mr Khadar, a grandfather, earns Dirham 8,000 (Rs 145,212) a month. But he had struggled to find means for the treatment of his 21- year-old son, who became paralysed after an accidental fall 13 days after birth. "Some years back I had to take a loan of Rs 1.8 million for a major surgery for him. I have managed to pay it back," said Mr Khadar.

He adds that with the money he has won, he plans to help needy children in Kerala. Last year, Bijukumar Rajan, a Kollam native, won the US dollar millionaire draw of Dubai Duty Free. He won around Rs 6 crore.