Pakistani bus driver wins grand prize of 1kg gold

A 57-year-old bus driver and father of two from Pakistan wasn’t expecting to win anything when he filled out coupons for a draw; the coupons were for a raffle organized by the Malabar Gold and Diamonds. But as fate would have it, Lal Jan turned up as the winner and received the grand prize of 1 kilogram of gold worth Dh153,000 or around $40,000 on the last day of the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group promotion.

“The prize has brought a lot of joy to our home,” said Jan, according to Gulf News on Thursday. “It was something we never expected to happen at this time.”

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The fateful event was precipitated by way of Jan’s niece; she is getting married soon and Jan accompanied his brother to buy gold for her in the Malabar Gold and Diamonds.

“My niece is getting married, and I had accompanied my brother to buy the gold for her from Malabar Gold and Diamonds,” Jan told Gulf News on Wednesday. “They gave us some coupons to fill out for the draw and luckily my coupon was the winner.”

Jan has been in the United Arab Emirates since 1976 and is thankful for the UAE for giving him the opportunity to lead a blessed life. As to what he plans to do with his winnings, Jan says the gold will now enable him to buy his own bus. The prize also comes at the right time, as Jan has struggled with finances in the past.

“I was caught up in many financial troubles after helping my friend with rent cheques,” said Jan. “This prize will now help me solve my problem.”  Cody Cepeda /ra

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