By V M Sathish www.emirates247.com
An Indian tourist who visited the UAE for the Dubai Shopping Festival has hit the jackpot by winning three kilogrammes of gold on Sunday night, but he was not in the UAE to collect the gold prize as he had returned home after catching a flu in Dubai’s current cold weather.
Kalyan Kanji, an Indian tourist, who was here on a visit, purchased the prize-winning coupon No.62531 from a Joy Alukkas Jewellery outlet.
About ten Indian tourists, who visited the UAE for the shopping festival, won half a kilo of gold each.
The organisers have not made a formal announcement because they are waiting for the winner to return to the UAE to collect his fortune.
According to the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group (DGJG), 24 winners are Indians living in the UAE or on visit for the Dubai Shopping Festival.
The first winner of the DSF gold raffle draw held on January 5, 2012 was an Indian resident of Dubai, Cheni Garam Ganbga who had bought gold from the Chittillappilly outlet in Grand City Mall. The last winner of the mega prize is also an Indian who won 3 kg of gold. “Majority of the gold buyers from the participating outlets were Indian residents or tourists. So it is natural that they dominate the winners’ list too,” said an Indian jewellery retailer in Dubai.
Abdul Salam, executive director, Malabar Gold, said five of the DSF gold prize winners purchased gold from their Dubai outlets in shopping malls. “Indian tourists have been major gold buyers during the shopping festival. Many Indian tourists visited the UAE forthe shopping festival. They purchase gold from the UAE because gold here is pure and they save some money too,” he said. More info
