PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA - Malaysia Airlines area manager in Mumbai Alias Suut escaped from being caught in the hostage situation at the Oberoi Trident Hotel there - thanks to a dinner date.

Just before the terrorists struck, Alias, 43, was having dinner with his predecessor Shaifuddin Kamaruddin at Consul-General Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah Wan Zaidi's home.

He was on his way back to the hotel when he received a phone call from Consul-General Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah telling him to stay away.

"He is a very concerned and responsible man. He called and informed us sometime between 10pm and 10.30pm as we were heading back to the hotel," Alias said when The Star contacted him in Mumbai.

The militant group called the Deccan Mujahideen struck at the Oberoi and several other locations, including two more hotels and a restaurant in the Indian financial capital.

About 125 people have been killed and more than 300 wounded.

Alias, the new MAS western district area manager in Mumbai had been staying at the Oberoi since Nov 16 before taking over from Shaifuddin.

"It is a very big coincidence that the handing-over session happened during this sad militant incident," he said. The former district manager in Hanoi, Vietnam, said he had been staying with a friend since the attacks began and has no intention of moving back to his hotel room when things calm down.

"I won't be staying there any more. It is not safe," he said, adding that he would stay with his friends until he found a new home.

Alias will fly back to Hanoi to hand over his duties to his replacement on Dec 5 and will start work at his new post at the beginning of next year.