(MENAFN- Live Mint) This is nothing short of a miracle. A man from Manali, Himachal Pradesh, who was meant to board a cab from Red Fort on Monday - where a deadly blast jolted Old Delhi - is alive today because his plan changed at the last moment. On Monday evening, a massive explosion near the Red Fort area in the capital killed at least nine people and injured more than 20. The powerful explosion, carried out using a white Hyundai i20, occurred around 6:52 p.m. at a traffic stop near the Red Fort Metro Station, Gate Number 1.

Ajay Singh, a hotelier from Manali, revealed how a sudden change of plan saved his life. Ajay had planned to take a cab back home but instead decided to board the metro. He purchased the ticket at 6:51 p.m. - just a minute before the deadly blast.

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Sharing his experience on LinkedIn, Ajay Singh, Managing Director of Merakii Hospitality, wrote:“Last evening, I was in Chandni Chowk, walking towards Red Fort to take a cab back home. And then - out of nowhere - I changed my mind and decided to take the metro instead. The ticket was purchased at 6:51 PM. Had it not been for that random change of plan, I would have been right around the blast site... or very, very close to it.”

Reflecting on the close call, Ajay acknowledged that travelling by metro was a rare occurrence for him.

“Here's what's strange - I have never, believe me you, never taken the metro back home. With plenty of shopping bags in hand, the obvious choice was a cab. Yet, for some reason, I still chose the metro. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was luck. Or maybe... it was karma doing its quiet work in the background. Sometimes, life gives us subtle signs - gentle nudges that steer us away from what we can't foresee. Feeling deeply grateful today - for that tiny decision, for the unseen protection, and for the reminder that there's always something bigger looking out for us.”

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Security has been ramped up at several locations across India following the explosion. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asserted that all“possibilities” were being explored, while multiple agencies have been deployed to determine the motive behind the explosion. An official confirmed to news agency PTI that preliminary findings suggest it may have been“accidentally triggered” while a hastily assembled explosive device was being transported, following the busting of an inter-state terror module.

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Investigators have zeroed in on a Pulwama-based doctor, Umar Nabi, who was driving the car used in the explosion that claimed 12 lives. He allegedly had links to the terror module busted with the recovery of explosives mainly from neighbouring Faridabad in Haryana.

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