A Qatari court announced the death sentence for eight Indian citizens arrested in the country last year, the Indian government said on Thursday. New Delhi said it was “deeply shocked” by the verdict.
“We are very surprised by the death penalty verdict and await the detailed decision. “We are in contact with family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” he said.
New Delhi said in a statement that it considered “this case of great importance” and would “take a decision together with the Qatari authorities”.
The Ministry of External Affairs said it would continue to extend all consular and legal assistance to Indian citizens.
“We attach great importance to this case and have been monitoring it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. “We will also take this decision together with the Qatari authorities,” he said in a statement.
Local media reported that the eight men, who worked for a private company in Qatar, were arrested for allegedly spying for Israel in August 2022.
According to Indian media reports, they were arrested on suspicion of spying for the Jewish state to obtain secrets of Qatar’s military submarine program.
However, Reuters could not independently confirm the allegations.
This case is shrouded in mystery because India and Qatar remain silent on the charges against the eight people. In a briefing on October 19, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi confirmed while responding to questions from the Hindustan Times that charges had been filed against them as part of the trial, but did not provide details.
Indian media said the eight residents were former naval personnel – seven officers and one sailor. While detained, they all worked for Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private company owned by an Omani Air Force officer that provided training and other services to Qatar’s armed forces and security agencies.
They are believed to be overseeing the entry of Italian-made stealth submarines into the Qatar Navy.
Soon after the men were detained, Al Dahra’s website stated that the company was under maintenance and the company’s listing on Linkedin had been removed. The company previously described itself as a “local business partner” for Qatar’s armed forces.
On May 30, 2023, Al Dhara closed its operations in Doha and all of the company’s employees, mainly Indians, returned home.
Source : Tempo.co