An Indian national in the UAE won a lottery worth 10 million dirhams (over Rs 17.5 crore) in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Sunil Mappatta Krishnan Kutty Nair, who hails from Kerala, took home the second-largest reward given away this year, Gulf News reported.

Nair works as a sales executive in Abu Dhabi. He will be splitting the money with three of his friends, said a colleague, who contributed to the ticket cost.

Raffle tickets usually cost around 500 dirhams (over Rs 8,700), and it is common for participants to pitch in to buy tickets and later split the prize.

Not just Sunil, nine more Indians received cash prizes up to 1,00,000 dirhams, according to the report.

Another Keralite wins big

The earlier ‘Big Ticket Draw’ of 12 million dirhams (Rs 20 crore) on January 7 was won by Harikrishnan V Nair, a Keralite based in Ajman.

When the winners were announced, Harikrishnan had initially thought that someone had played a prank on him.

Hailing from Alleppey, Harikrishnan moved to Dubai in 2002 and has been residing there since, working as a business development manager for a construction company.

He had earlier told TNM, "I kept thinking it was a prank for a very long time. But when many people started calling, informing me of my win, I was too stumped to believe it."

When asked what he plans to do with the money he won, Harikrishnan shared that he had his thoughts on post-retirement plans. "My wife and I are very happy with our current employment. This money will be very helpful in our son’s education and it is also a great opportunity for us to indulge in charity."

With IANS inputs