Dubai: A birthday present from a Dubai resident to his wife and an unplanned trip to a gold shop by another resident led to a windfall for two seven-year-old girls who won gold worth thousands of dirhams.
The daily Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) raffle draws returned this year promising gold prizes worth Dh7 million and other rewards that are changing the lives of many people every day. The girls became lucky after their names appeared on a winning raffle draw ticket their parents had filled during a trip to jewellery shops.
Seven-year-old Indian girl Eva Joshy is too young to understand the enormity of the prize she brought home to her parents. Speaking to Gulf News, her father Joshy Raphael said his daughter was overjoyed when they told her she had won one kilogram of gold from DSF.
“She wanted to tell the whole world about it,” he said. “She was so excited to go to school and tell her teachers and friends about the prize.”
Raphael, who manages his own business, said their visit to nearby Bhima Jewellers shop was unplanned. “I was with my wife and two kids when we purchased a 10 gram gold chain and received three gold coupons, which I had filled under my children’s names. We didn’t expect we would win such a big prize,” said the Dubai resident of 17 years.
Raphael wants to keep the prize, which is worth around Dh121,000, for Joshy’s education. “We believe it’s not luck, but rather a gift from God to us.”
Another Dubai resident was astonished when his seven-year-old child won a quarter kilo of gold, worth around Dh30,000. Sri Lankan expatriate Sampath Ukwaththa said he was not aware that he would get coupons for buying a diamond pendant for his wife’s birthday.
“I visited Malabar Gold and Diamonds in Karama with my wife to get her to choose her own birthday gift on January 2, a day prior to her birthday. When we were given a bunch of coupons I told her to fill them in later as my parking ticket had expired,” said the father of two, who works in construction.
Ukwaththa said he then went to renew his parking as his wife filled in some coupons. “On my way back I just decided to put them under my daughter Gayaraa’s name. We’ve never won a lottery; it was hard to believe. My daughter was really lucky and I plan to keep it for her.”
Out of the 27 winners so far in the mega promotion titled ‘100 Winners in 32 Days’ running from January 1 to February 1, 21 were Indians both tourists and residents, Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group said on Sunday.
Three lucky shoppers are being rewarded every day at the daily draws with a first prize of one kilogram of gold. second prize of half kilogram of gold and third prize of quarter kilogram of gold. In all, there will be 100 lucky winners over the 32 days of DSF celebrations.
Customers who purchase gold jewellery worth Dh500 get one raffle coupon and customers who purchase diamond or pearl jewellery worth Dh500 get two raffle coupons to take part in the daily draws. Raffle coupons will be provided by all the outlets participating in the group’s promotion.
