111 citizens, including 84 students, from Dubai reach Pune safely, 73 remain

The Maharashtra government has appealed to the citizens of Maharashtra residing abroad to maintain peace and patience, pay attention to official information only.

111 citizens, including 84 students, from Dubai reach Pune safely, 73 remainThe Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra have issued important instructions for the safety of Indian citizens in West Asia.(Source: Planet Labs PBC via AP)
2 min readPuneMar 4, 2026 10:15 PM IST First published on: Mar 4, 2026 at 10:15 PM IST

In the midst of conflict and airspace closure in West Asia due to Iran’s retaliation of US-Israel attack, 111 out of a total of 184 citizens of the Pune district who were stranded in Dubai have reached Pune safely. In a press note, District Collector Jitendra Dudi said the “flight time of 19 citizens has been changed and the process of bringing back 54 citizens is underway”.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had arranged two chartered aircraft to bring back 164 citizens of Maharashtra from UAE on Tuesday. Two Star Air flights were arranged to bring the citizens back, which included 84 students from Indira School of Business Studies, Pune, who had travelled to Dubai on an educational tour.
However, many citizens who remained stranded told The Indian Express that they have had to pay lakhs of rupees in hotel costs and in booking overpriced tickets to come back to India.

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