Indian childhood best friends win $1m at Dubai raffle

Dubai - When Francis called up his mother to give her the news, she hung up on him.

Sharjah-based auto mechanic Pinto Paul Thommana and his best friend Francis Sebastian were in for a real surprise on Tuesday (April 10) morning. The Thrissur, Kerala, native childhood friends received a call from Dubai Duty-Free on Tuesday morning informing them about their $1 million wins in the latest Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw.

The friends were convinced that someone was pranking them. However, after cross-checking with the Duty-Free officials several times, the best friends finally accepted that they won. Their families have been over the moon since. "I thought someone was playing a prank," Thommana told Khaleej Times late on Tuesday afternoon. "Later, when I called Francis, and we checked the numbers, we realised we'd won. We've been in a state of awe and happiness since" he added.

Thommanna has been living and working in the UAE for 12 years now. His wife Dhanya Devasi works as a school nurse at the GEMS FirstPoint School and is a father to two children. A foreman at the Fantastic Auto Maintenance Workshop in Sharjah, Thomanna has been living in the UAE for 12 years.

He and Sebastian bought the ticket jointly early last month. They childhood best friends went to the same school until Grade 10 in Irinjalakuda town in Thrissur, Kerala. "Pinto moved to the UAE 12 years ago, and in a way, I followed suit," said Sebastian.

Sebastian, an employee of Arabian Automobiles, has reason to be doubly happy since April 10 also happens to be his wife Leonie Francis's birthday. "We even had a discussion two weeks ago. I told my wife that if I were to win the lottery, I would buy her a costly gift," said Sebastian. He added, "I called my mother back home to tell her about the winnings. She refused to believe that I'd won and cut the call."

Francis has purchased the ticket five times, and each time he would prank his mother back home saying that he's won. "This time she didn't believe me at all. It was only after a friend called and convinced her, she came to terms with it," he added. The friends have not decided what to do with their winnings. However, they will both continue to live and work here in the UAE. "There are no plans of going back to India as of now. We will stay here," said Thommana.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

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