A Zepto software developer, Kritika Kumari, was stranded in Dubai amidst escalating Middle East conflict.

NEW DELHI: Stranded in Dubai as the Middle East erupted into chaos, Kritika Kumari, a software developer at quick commerce platform Zepto, found herself navigating a tense mix of uncertainty, canceled flights, and missile strikes — and still managed to make her way safely to Muscat, Oman, before catching a flight back to Bengaluru.Kumari, who had been in Dubai for work, had been posting regular updates on X, sharing snapshots of empty streets, fighter jets overhead, and the tense atmosphere in the city after coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in Iran prompted hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones to target Israel, the UAE, and neighboring Gulf countries.

On February 28, Kumari posted that the last missile strike had occurred just 4.5 km from where she was staying. “Totally tensed and stressed on how I will go back home safe or if I will be able to go back,” she wrote. Since then, she regularly shared updates from Dubai, including photos of empty streets, fighter jets in the sky, and scenes from her hotel.With airspace closed and flights canceled, Kritika, along with four colleagues, explored alternatives. On the night of March 1, she applied for an Oman e-visa through the Atlys app. By Tuesday afternoon, the visa was approved — delayed by a few hours, but enough to set the plan in motion.The escape was a mix of buses, cabs, and border crossings. “We were dropped at the UAE border by cab, then got on a bus to reach the Oman side for immigration,” she said. Finding the bus slow and expensive, the group switched to a taxi, paying 500 dirhams for five people to speed things up. Overall, transport cost about 3,500 dirhams for the journey from Dubai to Muscat.Kumari’s flight from Muscat to Bengaluru was booked for early morning, costing around 40,000 rupees per person. “We were weighing all possibilities — stay or leave — but yesterday’s incident triggered us to move out,” she said, reflecting on the tense decision-making.Her story is just one of many of Indians stranded in Dubai as the conflict raged on. Iranian missile strikes hit Bahrain, Kuwait, Israel, and the UAE, while NATO forces intercepted missiles heading toward Turkey. The fighting has killed over 1,000 in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon, and around a dozen in Israel, disrupting global oil and gas supplies and leaving travelers scrambling for safety.