Navaneeth Sajeevan with his wife and son.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Abu Dhabi resident who recently lost his job recently has won $1 million in Dubai Duty Free raffle draw on Sunday.

Navaneeth Sajeevan, a 30 year old Indian national based in Abu Dhabi became a dollar millionaire in Millennium Millionaire Series 345 with ticket number 4,180, which he purchased online on Nov.22.

A resident of Abu Dhabi for four years now, Sajeevan is a father of one and works as an HSE Officer for an outsourcing company in Abu Dhabi.

Sajeevan, who was made redundant due to the current pandemic, was understandably thrilled and couldn't contain his excitement to share the good news with his four colleagues and friends with whom he shared the ticket cost.

“I just came from a job interview and to receive this call from Dubai Duty Free is totally unbelievable. I am so thankful to Dubai Duty Free for this very timely win”, he said.

Sajeevan who hails from Kerala in India is the 171st Indian national to have won $1 million since the start of the Millennium Millionaire promotion in 1999. Indian nationals make up the highest number of Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire ticket buyers.

Abdalla Alteneiji, an Emirati national, will be pleasantly surprised when he learns that he has become a $1 million winner in Millennium Millionaire Series 346 with ticket number 2,779, which he purchased online on Nov.29.

Alteneiji was unavailable for immediate comment.

Today's draw was conducted following strict social distancing by Dubai Duty Free's Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Colm McLoughlin, Chief Operating Officer, Ramesh Cidambi, Salah Tahlak, Executive Vice President - Corporate Services and Sinead El Sibai, SVP – Marketing.

Dubai Duty Free marked its 37th anniversary as it welcomed passengers travelling through Dubai International Airport with a special 25% discount on a wide range of merchandise over three days which began at midnight on 18th December and ends at midnight tonight, 20th December.

The anniversary discount saw a spending spree at Dubai International Airport and online through Dubai Duty Free's Home Delivery service, which is available for UAE residents.

Commenting on the 37th anniversary, Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free said: “Despite the difficulties brought about by Covid-19, we have gone ahead with our 37th anniversary celebrations by offering passengers and UAE residents alike the chance to avail of a 25% discount across a wide range of products. This is our way of saying “thank you” to our customers for their continued support during this challenging year.”

The 37th anniversary celebrations began last week with the Dubai Duty Free executive team, led by McLoughlin, marking the occasion in its Head Office in Ramoul before visiting Terminal 2 in Dubai International Airport.