EK521 survivor receives $1m cheque, buys another lottery ticket

Gulf News story about Khadar’s win six days after escaping accident had gone viral all over the world

Image Credit: Courtesy: DDF

Mohammad Basheer Abdul Khadar receives the ceremonial cheque for $1 million from Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free along with Salah Tahlak, Executive Vice President

Dubai: What is the next thing you would do when you get the ceremonial cheque for a million dollars that you won just days after walking unscathedfrom a plane accident? Buy another ticket for the jackpot and hope for one more stroke of luck!

That is what Indian grandfather Mohammad Basheer Abdul Khadar, a survivor of the EK521 plane accident at Dubai airport on August 3, did on Tuesday when he received the ceremonial cheque for the $1 million Dubai Duty Free (DDF) Millennium Millionaire raffle.

Gulf News’ story about Khadar’s most impressive win six days after escaping potential death went viral all over the world, with major international media houses describing him as the “world’s luckiest man”.

On Tuesday, he was invited for a presentation ceremony held alongside the latest draw.

Colm McLoughlin, executive vice-chairman and CEO of DDF, along with Salah Tahlak, executive vice-president, Nic Bruwer, executive vice- president, and Sinead El Sibai, vice-president – Marketing, were present to do the honours.

Speaking to Gulf News after the ceremony, Khadar said he was pleasantly surprised to see all the VIPs, some of whom happened to be his previous customers.

“I was very happy to see the senior officials, some of whom were my clients. People there were also surprised when Mr Salah Tahlak himself recognised me and came to talk to me,” said Khadar, who works as a fleet administrator with Al Tayer Motors.

He said he had personally delivered cars to Tahlak and some other officials several years back. “But I never thought I would be meeting them again like this.”

Khadar, 62, who had the habit of purchasing the Dh1,000 raffle ticket every time he flew home in the past several years, did not want to miss the chance of buying another ticket when he got a chance to visit the Dubai Duty Free once again on Tuesday. “They gave me a special pass to enter the Duty Free. So, when I got the chance, I bought one more ticket. This is my 18th. Who knows if I get luckier again or not,” he said laughing.

His 17th ticket, bearing number 0845, made him DDF’s 222nd lucky dollar millionaire. That ticket and his passport kept in his pocket were the only things in his possession when he fled from the burning plane.

Khadar said he had submitted the ticket to the DDF office on the very day he was chosen the winner. He will get the prize money credited to his bank account within one or two weeks.

On Tuesday, the latest DDF Millennium Millionaire winner was Michael Beck, a 48-year-old American. Dhatchanamoorthy Marimuthu, an Indian living in Dubai, won a Ducati Hypermotard in the Finest Surprise draw.