Tajuddin Aliyar Kunju (inset) will be sharing the Big  Ticket jackpot with 15 friends. SUPPLIED

In an extraordinary twist of fate, a group of 16 friends living in Saudi Arabia have struck gold by winning the Dh25 million Big Ticket jackpot—after just five months of trying their luck. The winning ticket, number 306638, was bought online on April 18 by Indian expat Tajuddin Aliyar Kunju. The 61-year-old, who has lived in Al Hail, Saudi Arabia, for the past 40 years, revealed that he and his friends have been pooling Dh70 each month to purchase two Big Ticket entries together. “We always buy two jackpot tickets. This time, we got two free tickets under a promotion, and it was one of the free tickets that won us the jackpot,” Tajuddin said. The heartwarming part of their win? The group had made a pact from the beginning to divide the prize into 17 shares instead of 16—one share was earmarked for charity. “We are 16 people, but the prize will be divided into 17 parts, because one part will go to charity. That’s something we agreed on right from the first ticket we bought,” Tajuddin shared. This means they will take home Dh1.47 million each, with another Dh1.47 million to go to charity. Initially unaware of the win, Tajuddin missed the official call from Big Ticket after accidentally registering with his Indian mobile number. “They called my house in Kerala. My wife picked up but disconnected the call, thinking it was a prank,” he recalled. It wasn’t until his brother-in-law in Dubai saw the draw results and called him that reality sank in. “He asked me if I had participated in the draw. I said yes, and he told me, ‘You have won.’ I said, ‘Please don’t joke like that.’ But when he showed me the name and number, I felt like I was floating. The earth slipped away from under me,” Tajuddin said. The group is yet to decide how to spend their newfound wealth. “We have called for a meeting. We will sit down and decide together what to do with the winnings,” he added. Reflecting on their rapid win, Tajuddin said, “This was only our fifth time trying. I never imagined that I would win, especially with a free ticket. It’s unbelievable. You never know when your time will come.” ICA/Expat Media
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