Bangladeshi Sabuj Mia wins 600 million lottery in UAE

Luckily, my heart was in my mouth that day! Sabuj Mia Amir Hossain Dewan, a Bangladeshi tailor who has been living in Dubai for 18 years, bought a lottery ticket for the first time and won 20 million dirhams (about 600 million taka in Bangladeshi taka) on his first attempt.

Although such an event is rare in the history of the lottery, for Sabuj, it is more than luck—it is like a victory of unwavering faith in the mind.

Sabuj works as a tailor in Dubai. He has been living abroad for almost two decades. Many of his acquaintances regularly buy the 'Big Ticket' lottery. Sabuj has been requested many times to buy a ticket, but he has never shown any interest. But July 29 was an exceptional day. Sabuj went to Abu Dhabi to work with a client. That's when the idea of buying a lottery ticket came to his mind.

Sabuj said, "Many people told me to buy it, but I never bought it. For some reason that day, my heart said, 'I'll buy a ticket now,'" Sabuj told Khaleej Times.

After finishing work in Abu Dhabi, Sabuj asked a taxi driver how to buy a big ticket. The driver showed him the address of the store. When Sabuj reached the store, he found out that the ticket cost 500 dirhams. He was a little hesitant about buying a lottery ticket with that much money.

"Many things could have been done with this money. But my mind was stubborn, as if I had to buy it," he said.

Sabuj bought the ticket after listening to his heart. From then on, his mind was filled with a strange confidence. He said, “I would work all day, and suddenly I would remember the ticket. My mind would say, I will win. I would tell myself that it is not possible to win the first time I buy it. But my mind was very confident.”

Five days later, that confidence was confirmed. His name was announced in the monthly lottery draw. In July, another Bangladeshi, Mohammad Nasser Belal, won the grand prize of 25 million dirhams. He also picked the winning green ticket this time.