A photographer based in Ajman took home $1 million in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire Series MM556 draw on 9 September 2026, sharing the prize with 17 friends who pooled the cost of a single ticket.
Jijo Pulikkathodi, 41, from Kerala, won with ticket number 4891, purchased online on 22 August. He has lived in Ajman for four years and is a father of two. The group had been participating in the promotion together for three to four months.
‘Thanks a lot Dubai Duty Free. This win will definitely help us all,’ Pulikkathodi said.
He is the 283rd Indian national to win $1 million in the Millennium Millionaire promotion since it launched in 1999. Dubai Duty Free’s own records show the 250th Indian winner was announced in May 2025, meaning 33 Indian nationals have claimed the top prize in the intervening 16 months.
Second $1 million winner in the same draw
A second millionaire was also named at the same draw. Rohan Prakash Fernandes, a 38-year-old from Karnataka based in Dubai, won $1 million in Millennium Millionaire Series MM554 with ticket number 1710, according to Gulf News.
‘Thank you once again Dubai Duty Free for this welcoming opportunity to be here today to receive my ceremonial cheque and witness how you conduct the draw,’ Fernandes said.
Each Millennium Millionaire series is limited to 5,000 tickets, giving every participant a one-in-5,000 chance at the $1 million prize.
Three vehicles awarded in the Finest Surprise draw
The Finest Surprise draw followed, with three vehicles going to residents across the UAE.
Yogesh Dhanak, 53, a Sharjah-based Indian who works for a manufacturing firm, won a Range Rover SE P360 in Carpathian Grey with ticket number 1243, purchased at Concourse B on 19 August. Dhanak was born and raised in Dubai and has been buying tickets whenever he travels for the past 15 years. ‘Thank you so much for my first win!’ he said.
Eser Erol, a 35-year-old Turkish national based in Dubai since 2024, won a BMW F 900 GS motorbike in Trophy White/Blue/Red with ticket number 0978, purchased on 30 August. It was only his third ticket in the promotion. Erol works at Dubai Airport Freezone (DAFZA) as a regional sales manager for Bosch Middle East. ‘It’s my first time winning something from a draw,’ he said.
Melwin Pontes, an Indian national based in Dubai, won an Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 in Shark Grey with ticket number 0505, purchased online on 1 September. Pontes is a repeat motorbike winner: he previously won an Aprilia RSV4 Factory 1100 in October 2025. Dubai Duty Free said he remains unaware of his latest win as he is currently uncontactable.
Under Dubai Duty Free’s rules, Finest Surprise vehicle prizes are tax-free in the UAE, but winners must cover vehicle registration and insurance before collecting. For winners outside the UAE, Dubai Duty Free ships the vehicle to the nearest seaport free of charge, excluding import duties, provided it is collected within 90 days of the draw date.
Finest Surprise tickets are available online and at Dubai Duty Free counters across Terminals 1, 2, and 3 at Dubai International Airport, as well as Al Maktoum International Airport. The next Millennium Millionaire draw will determine whether Pulikkathodi’s group, whose ticket pool spans multiple series, enters another round, the pace of Indian winners reaching the milestone has accelerated markedly since the promotion began.
