Qatar Duty Free presented Mr Joao Francisco Xavier with a cheque for one million Qatari riyals today after his name was drawn as the winner of Qatar Duty Free's first Millionaire cash draw competition.

Qatar Duty Free's Assistant General Manager Krishna Kumari presented the 48-year-old Mr Xavier from Goa, India, with the cheque in a special ceremony at Qatar Duty Free's head office in Doha, Qatar.

"It's a miracle that I won this prize," said the very humble Mr Xavier. "I've seen poorness in my life but my children wont have to."

"It's been a dream for me to win one of these prizes at Qatar Duty Free for a long time.

"When I received the phone call to say that I had won, I had to try and find my ticket that I had left in a cupboard.

"I wasn't thinking about the lottery. I was thinking about returning to Qatar to work to ease my financial situation," he said.

Mr Xavier bought his winning ticket at Qatar Duty Free on July 12 this year, as he prepared to go home to Goa on annual leave from his job as Senior Scaffolding Contract Supervisor for the Qatar Plant Hire company - a company that he has worked for since 1987.

The money will help Mr Xavier recover the costs of hospital treatment that he is presently undergoing, which forced him to resign from his job in September this year.

The Qatar Duty Free cheque will also help him recover the costs of hospital treatment for his brother, who died tragically in 2002 after being in a coma for 10 months as a result of a car accident.

"After my brother expired I was left as the first and last person to support my brother's family and my own family," he said. "As for the future, I haven't decided. I'm thinking about returning to Qatar, which is like a diamond. Money is important but not everything. My family is the important thing," he said.

Mr Xavier has three children, a 19-year-old daughter, a six year-old son, and a five year-old daughter.

Qatar Duty Free is a subsidiary of Qatar Airways and has its store based in Doha International Airport. The company is undergoing tremendous growth. In the financial year to date it has recorded a 58 per cent increase in sales. The company stocks all the major name brands in a wide variety of categories including electronics, perfumery, cosmetics, jewellery, cigarettes, alcohol, toys and confectionery.