Indian expat Shivamurthy Krishnappa, living in Sharjah, is the latest Dh12 million (around Rs 24 crore) ticket winner.

His winning ticket number -- 202511 -- was bought on February 17, the Gulf News reported.

Krishnappa was excited as he watched the draw live from home. When the host Richard called him on his mobile, an elated Krishnappa said: "I am watching the live draw. Thank you so much. I cannot believe I have won."

The Indian expat, who hails from Shimoga district in Karnataka said he wants to build a house from the winning money. "I want to build a big house for my family back in my hometown. I have two children aged 10 and 4, so a large part of the money will be put into deposit for their future."

A mechanical engineer in Dubai since 2005, Krishnappa has been buying the Big Ticket every month for the last three years. "Before I used to share the ticket with friends. For the last one year I have been buying the ticket on my own. This time I bought two tickets as the organisers had a special offer for regular ticket buyers," he said.

(IANS)