Car washer in Dubai with Dh1,300 salary wins Dh10 million Mahzooz jackpot

KATHMANDU: A car washer in Dubai said his life changed after winning the Dh10 million ($2.7m) Mahzooz jackpot.

Bharat, 31, from Nepal, bought the winning ticket with his two friends and pledged to share the prize money.

He said he aims to spend the winnings on his family and surgery for his brother who was paralysed after a brain tumour.

The 94th grand draw was won after matching the five winning numbers: 16, 27, 31, 37 and 42.

Bharat said 27 and 16 were his lucky numbers — the first being the date of his birthday and the other his wedding day. His wife and two children aged 3 and 5 live in Nepal.

Making only Dh1,300 a month, he is one of the lowest-earning winners and will take a holiday before going to see his family in Nepal.

Bharat, who worked in a power plant in Saudi Arabia before moving to Dubai three years ago, said he was unlikely to quit his car washing job after winning the jackpot.

“I want to keep working,” he said.

“I have been participating in Mahzooz since it started, at first it was with a group of friends as we didn’t have much money.

“Now I entered with two friends. I told my family that I had won, but I have not told them how much.

“I have taken part in other draws, but thought Mahzooz was more credible so I’ve continued to play.

“To win is amazing, but I always had confidence that one day it would happen.”

Family responsibilities come first

Although he spends all day washing cars in Al Quoz, Bharat was in no rush to go out and buy himself a new flashy sports car.

Instead, the money will be spent closer to home, he said.

“I will use the money to care for my family and my brother’s health expenses,” Bharat said.

“The UAE has given me a lot of opportunities, so I want to stay here, but I want to take a holiday first.

“Two of the numbers were special to me ― my birthday and wedding anniversary ― but the others were at random. I change them every time.

“I put the numbers on at 1am and hoped for the best.

“When I finished my duty I went back to my room to watch the numbers come in at about 9pm. When they came in, there was a lot of commotion.

“I am looking forward to paying off my mortgages and other bills as soon as possible.

“It’s important for me to set up the future of my two children aged 5 and 3 years old.

“This would be an incredible thing to be able to accomplish.

“This prize will enable me to achieve so much and change the lives of so many people.”

Prize money has changed lives

So far, more than 3,200 lucky Nepalese participants have been among Mahzooz winners, 28 of whom have landed the first and second prizes

The competition is expanding its reach. Each week, between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of draw participants are from outside the UAE.

In the 94th weekly live Mahzooz draw, 41 winners shared the second prize of Dh1,000,000 and 1,174 winners bagged the third prize of Dh350 each.

Additionally, three winners took home Dh300,000 in the raffle draw, which features three guaranteed winners every week.

The total prize money won in the 94th draw was Dh11,719,900.

“For many people, Dh35 is a good deal of money, so stories like Bharat’s are compelling,” said Farid Samji, chief executive of Ewings, operator of Mahzooz.

“He is one of the lowest earners among our winners, so it will make a huge difference to him and his family.

“There is a reason why we keep producing these winners, it is fair and trusted, so people want to take part.

“We make dreams come true.” TheNational