Pakistani man wins Dh15 million in Abu Dhabi lottery

ABU DHABI: A 64-year-old Pakistani man has reportedly struck a life-changing jackpot in Abu Dhabi, winning Dh15 million in a lottery draw after buying tickets regularly for 15 years.

The winner, identified as Shaukat Aftab, initially thought the news was a scam when lottery officials called him in Pakistan to tell him about his massive prize.

Rather than immediately believing the unexpected announcement, Aftab was asked by the lottery administration to verify his ticket number through the official lottery website.

After checking the details himself, he finally realised that the astonishing news was genuine.

Aftab has reportedly been purchasing lottery tickets regularly for around 15 years, making his eventual jackpot win a remarkable culmination of years of participation.

The Dh15m prize is expected to bring a dramatic change to his life, although details about how he plans to use the money have not been disclosed.

The latest draw also brought smaller prizes to other participants. Four Indian nationals and one Bangladeshi citizen each won Dh100,000, according to the lottery administration.

The story has quickly attracted attention among expatriate communities in the UAE, where people from South Asia make up a large part of the population.

For Aftab, however, the biggest surprise was not simply winning the jackpot but learning about it in an unexpected phone call that he initially dismissed as fraudulent.

His reaction highlights how extraordinary a lottery win of this scale can feel, particularly when the news arrives without warning.

After 15 years of regularly purchasing tickets, Aftab finally saw his long-shot hope turn into reality — transforming an ordinary lottery ticket into a Dh15 million fortune.