DOHA – Eight ex-Indian Navy personnel have been awarded death sentence by Qatar court for carrying out espionage activities in the Gulf nation.
The authorities held the group of Indians for covertly gathering information about a secret programme to buy advanced Italian submarines.
Indian foreign ministry confirmed the development on Thursday, expressing deep shock over the initial verdict. Those who get the capital punishment include Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Rajesh.
New Delhi responds to the Qatar court judgment and said officials are awaiting more details about the verdict. Indian foreign office is reportedly in contact with the families of eight ex-naval forces members and legal team.
It was reported that eight former naval people were hired by Al Dahra Company, a private firm that provided training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces and security agencies.
During the custody, Qatari authorities denied several bail pleas of the accused.
Indian government however did not share further details about the charges at this stage in wake of confidential nature of the case.
