Indian expatriate Jayaprakash Balureddy 30,
from Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, bagged the first 1kg gold prize (Dh146,000) on Thursday from the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group (DGJG) for
this year’s Dubai Shopping Festival.(DSF
2014). “This is definitely a
big help for me. This is like receiving my three years’ worth of salary at one
time only. That’s why I want to help,” Balureddy,
an air conditioner technician.
Balureddy said he plans on selling the gold
bar so he could put the money to educate underprivileged children in his
hometown(AED 50,000) and to help family and for his wedding on February 10. “I know
how they feel. I myself had difficulty getting an education because we had no
money when I was growing up. So I want to help.”
Balureddy
was buying gold ornaments on Thursday for his wedding when he was given a
raffle coupon. The Indian
resident said he was clueless about the raffle and was surprised when raffle
organizers called him.
“I didn't believe it at first when they called me because I had just bought the
gold an hour before that. I asked myself, ‘How can this happen?” he added.
The raffle is organised by the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group.
Sunny
Chittilappilly, DGJG chairman, described Balureddy as an extremely lucky man.
And this, he said, was what they had meant by doubling the chances for everyone
to win at the gold raffle.
“We
lowered the minimum spend to AED500 and gave two raffle coupons to give everyone
more chances of winning,” Chittilappilly said.
Apart
from the 1kg gold given away daily, the group is also giving away a diamond
solitaire ring every day for 32 days.
