<p class="title">A 43-year-old driver from Kerala has won USD 272,260 in a mall raffle draw contest here, according to a media report on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Speaking to Khaleej Times, Abdul Salam Shanavas, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, said, "Even if I had worked for 50 years, I wouldn't have earned anything close to this amount. I arrived here in 1997 empty-handed, but with a lot of expectations. I took my driver's license and started off as a driver in Sharjah but couldn't save much. I then moved to Abu Dhabi as a family driver and now earn Dh2,500 (USD 650)."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shanavas won the prize through 'Mall Millionaire' campaign which is part of the 47-day Retail Abu Dhabi summer sales by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi. He spent about USD 54 for entering the draw.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I was informed on August 5 that I am the draw winner and had to keep it a secret till official announcement was made. I didn't even tell my family back in Kerala. I just told my wife there's a big surprise in store," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, all was not smooth sailing for Shanavas, as he deleted the mobile message which was sent to him after registering for the draw.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I almost had a minor heart attack when I couldn't find the SMS. But luckily the organizers could confirm me as the winner by matching my phone number and other details," he quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Now Shanavas plans to build a permanent home. "With my little savings, I had recently bought a piece of land. I had planned to start construction of the home by 2021. This money has come at the right time," Shanavas told the newspaper. </p>
<p class="title">A 43-year-old driver from Kerala has won USD 272,260 in a mall raffle draw contest here, according to a media report on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Speaking to Khaleej Times, Abdul Salam Shanavas, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, said, "Even if I had worked for 50 years, I wouldn't have earned anything close to this amount. I arrived here in 1997 empty-handed, but with a lot of expectations. I took my driver's license and started off as a driver in Sharjah but couldn't save much. I then moved to Abu Dhabi as a family driver and now earn Dh2,500 (USD 650)."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Shanavas won the prize through 'Mall Millionaire' campaign which is part of the 47-day Retail Abu Dhabi summer sales by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi. He spent about USD 54 for entering the draw.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I was informed on August 5 that I am the draw winner and had to keep it a secret till official announcement was made. I didn't even tell my family back in Kerala. I just told my wife there's a big surprise in store," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, all was not smooth sailing for Shanavas, as he deleted the mobile message which was sent to him after registering for the draw.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I almost had a minor heart attack when I couldn't find the SMS. But luckily the organizers could confirm me as the winner by matching my phone number and other details," he quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Now Shanavas plans to build a permanent home. "With my little savings, I had recently bought a piece of land. I had planned to start construction of the home by 2021. This money has come at the right time," Shanavas told the newspaper. </p>