Padam carries his prize of Dh20 million in cash at the Mahzooz headquarters in Dubai on April 19, 2023.

Mahzooz: Nepali driver in Dubai wins Dh20 million

A Nepali driver in Dubai is now a multi-millionaire after winning Dh20 million in Mahzooz. A transparent box filled with bundles of cash totaling Dh20 million was waiting for Padam (full name withheld) at the winners’ conference at the Mahzooz headquarters in Dubai on Wednesday (April 19). It was so heavy that when the 41-year-old gamely lifted it for the press, it almost fell apart, with several bundles of Dh1,000 banknotes slipping out. When asked by Expatmedia.net what he plans to do with the money, Padam said he will spend most of it on his family, and also invest in Nepal and the UAE. Padam’s winning numbers are 5, 10, 41, 46 and 49. He said the numbers are based on his wife’s lucky number, his daughter’s lucky number, and three of his own lucky numbers. How did he find out that he won? The Nepali regularly watches the live draws every Saturday, but last Saturday, he fell asleep because he just came back from a holiday. When a Mahzooz representative called him, “I didn’t believe it at first, so I went online and checked for myself,” he said. Padam is the 5,000th Nepali winner in Mahzooz, with Dh33 million in prizes going to Nepali winners since 2020. In total, Mahzooz has given away Dh407 million to thousands of winners. For Padam, his big win came as a huge surprise since he only won Dh350 and Dh35 in previous draws. He has been living in Dubai in the last 23 years and has been participating in Mahzooz every week since it began as then Emirates Loto in 2020. “I believed I will win. When a Nepali won last time, I got an extra boost to participate,” he told Expatmedia.net. ALSO READ: Nepali car cleaner wins Dh10 million in Mahzooz Padam’s job as a driver in JLT earns him Dh5,700 per month, which he uses to support his 12-year-old daughter and his wife in Nepal. He has been working for the same company in the last 23 years. Does he plan on quitting his job soon? “No, because I love my job and my company. It’s like family to me,” he said. Padam said his windfall will pay off his Dh40,000 debt in the UAE and help him continue his personal charity work for the elderly in Nepal. He won’t be bringing his family to the UAE soon. “My daughter still has school and my mother is old,” he said. But celebrations are definitely in order, Padam said, adding that his big windfall is not only going to change his life, but other people’s lives, too. ICA/Expat Media ALSO READ: Filipino in Dubai wins Dh1 million in Mahzooz

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