Clerk in Dubai wins free apartment in Kochi

Kochi, Apr 5 (UNI) A 40-year-old Keralite, working as a clerk in a construction company in Dubai, today won a luxury apartment worth Rs 25 lakh here after his name was picked in a lucky draw contest at the Cochin International Airport duty free shop.

Cochin International Airport Ltd. (CIAL) Managing Director S Bharat declared P P Davis, resident of Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district as the winner of the lucky draw, held jointly by the Cochin Duty Free and Diageo India.

Mr Davis beat P Sunil Kumar to the prize as he correctly answered two questions on the largest selling Scotch whisky brand and which duty free shop in the country was known as 'Pride of India'. Mr Sunil Kumar had got one of the questions wrong, Mr Bharat said.

Mr Davis, working as a clerk in the G-6 construction company at Dubai, came to Cochin International Airport on January one this year. Diageo, the seller of premium alcohol brands such as Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff and J&B, ran the contest at the Cochin duty free shop from December one, 2006 to March 31, 2007. The passengers had to purchase 20 US Dollars worth of Diageo brands to participate in the lucky draw, Mr R Krithivasan, Director, Travel Retail, Diageo India and South Asia, said.

The two-bedroom flat, spread over 1115 sq ft., is located at Four Square Manor at Kakanad, built by Holy Faith Builders.

'It is every NRI's dream to own a house in his/her homeland and we wanted to make this dream come true,' said Mr Sany Francis, MD, Holy Faith Builders.

Mr Krithivasan said this was the first time in the country that immovable property of this value had been given as a prize in any duty free promotion.

Mr Bharat said due to such promotions and maintaining lowest regional prices, the turover of the Cochin duty free shop had touched Rs 32 crore during 2006-07, a 40 per cent rise over the previous year.

UNI