‘Safest city felt most dangerous’: Businessman recalls tense moments in Dubai after West Asia war began

Mumbai: “The safest city in the world today is the most dangerous place,” was the immediate reaction by 61-year-old Shaikh Mohd Imran to News Meter, who returned to Mumbai from Dubai after 18 days of struggle.

Imran was supposed to travel to Mumbai on February 28, not knowing that the repercussions from the war between Israel, America and Iran were just about to reach the ‘City of Gold’.

Pandemonium at the Dubai airport

“I reached the airport in Dubai and was checking in when suddenly there was chaos all over. The staff was running helter-skelter, not saying clearly what happened,” recalled Imran to NewsMeter, whose family had an emotional moment when he finally reached Mumbai on Tuesday.

The scene at the Dubai airport was like an action movie as the Flight Information Display System started flickering and began to show cancelled signs for all the flights one by one. When passengers asked the staff, they were told that the airport is shut till further notice.

Imran, who has an apparel business in Dubai, was returning to his homeland, Mumbai, as the month of Ramzan had started.

Desperation to leave sets in

Imran frequently travels to Dubai for 15 days to about three months after buying cloth samples from Surat, Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Jaipur, Pali in Rajasthan. He also runs a cafeteria in Dubai that is managed by his partners.

A dejected Imran returned from the airport and booked another flight ticket for March 6. “The flight was again cancelled as Dubai was facing drone attacks by Iran,” Imran said. The situation in Dubai turned so distressing that people wanted to leave the city, no matter what.

“Oman cities, which were nowhere close to Dubai in terms of popularity, had become the most preferred places as people somehow wanted to reach there by road to travel back to India,” Imran said, recalling that people were queuing for six to eight hours at the border to cross over to Oman, considered to be a safe place in the current situation.

The struggle did not end even after crossing the border, as passengers were asked to report to the airports in Oman at least 12 hours before the flight schedule.

Hotel bookings and property sales took hit

Dubai, in the meantime, was struggling business-wise too, as hotel bookings took a severe hit because of the West Asia war.

Besides the thriving gold business, Dubai is one of the most popular tourist destinations globally. Additionally, in the last few years, Dubai has become a hotspot for property buying by Indians.

“The hotels that charged 500 dirhams (Rs 12,755) per day were charging just 100 dirhams (Rs 2,550), still, there were no takers,” Imran said. Besides, he said, property prices fell by 35 to 40 per cent. “Everyone wanted to run,” said Imran with a sigh of relief that he could somehow return to Mumbai.

Rs 2.5 lakh for a ticket home

Imran finally got a flight after paying a premium price of Rs 50,000, and he returned to Mumbai on Tuesday.

However, he was still thankful that he got the ticket for this price, as many people who boarded chartered flights paid Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 for a ticket to Indian cities. At one point, he said, some people paid up to Rs 2.5 lakh for a ticket.

Prices of essentials skyrocketed

Even travel to Oman by road had turned costlier, with taxis and buses charging as high as four to five times the fare. “The cost of living spiralled in Dubai due to the war. A watermelon, which was earlier sold for 3 dirhams (Rs 76), was sold for 10 dirhams (Rs 255). “The price of most of the essentials went up by 200 to 300 per cent,” Imran said.

Imran recalled how the siren would go off on their mobile phones three times a day. “Messages would flash on the phone that a missile attack is expected, asking all to enter a building or move to a safe spot,” Imran said.

Emotions ran high when Imran reached Mumbai

“It was an emotional reunion. My family was scared, and now they don’t want me to go back,” said Imran, adding that his mother-in-law says that the family can survive on roti and chatni and there is no need to go back.

But Imran had all the praise for the Dubai government and authorities, as he said they were very cooperative during this difficult time.