Indian espionage case in Qatar

In August 2022, eight former Indian Navy officers were detained in Doha, Qatar. Charges against them were not made public by Qatari authorities, however media reports suggested "spying for Israel". The detained men who worked in Qatar were allegedly involved in dubious activities connected to espionage.

Background 
Millions of Indian nationals reside in the Persian Gulf region, with tens of thousands employed in semi-skilled and low-income jobs. These migrant workers have been instrumental in the development of the economies of Gulf Arab states and serve as a crucial source of remittances for India.

The company, Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, for whom the eight Indians worked, described itself as a "local business partner" of Qatar's governmental agencies including defence.

In 2020, Qatar signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Fincantieri — an Italian shipbuilding firm — to build submarines. The project also involved the  maintenance of Qatar's naval fleet and construction of a naval base. However, the MoU was reportedly not implemented. As of May 2023, the Fincantieri company had no existing contracts for submarines with Qatar. However, based on a 2016 agreement with the Qatar's Ministry of Defence, work on finishing seven surface vessels – including four corvettes, two patrol vessels and one amphibious vessel was in progress.

Qatar is reportedly seeking a smaller variety of the U212 Near Future submarine, a submarine project in Italy built with a German firm's cooperation.

Arrest
On 30 August 2022, the former Indian Navy officers, 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 Ragesh, were arrested from Doha by the Qatari intelligence service.

According to reports, they were in charge of teaching the Qatari Navy and were employed by a private company run by an officer from the Oman Air Force that offers training and other services to Qatar's armed forces. The arrested Indian nationals' bail requests have been denied by Qatari authorities eight times, and their incarceration has most recently been increased. The men had their case forwarded to court by the public prosecutor.

Up till December 2022, MEA indicated that no charges were pressed. It said "If they say that the charges have not yet been pressed, let's take it at that value." in weekly media briefing.

Trial and verdict
In late March 2023, the eight men had their first trial.

In October 2023, the eight former Indian naval officers working for the Al Dahra consulting company, which was advising the Qatari government on the acquisition of submarines, were handed death sentences on 'spying charges' by a Qatari court. The charges against the eight men were not made public by either the Indian government or the Qatari authorities.

Reactions
The detained Indian nationals in Qatar were actively sought for consular access  by the Indian mission in Doha, according to the Ministry of External Affairs of India (MEA). Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the MEA, said that the Indian Embassy in Doha spoke with the Qatari government and that Indian diplomats visited the arrested officials to inquire about their wellbeing. The families of the arrested individuals are still in contact with the Indian embassy in Doha, which is also providing consular and legal support. However, the MEA withheld any information pertaining to the accusations made against the former officers.

According to Hindustan Times, an Indian journalist and their spouse were also ordered by Qatari authorities to leave the country for reporting on the case.

See also

References

India–Qatar relations
Indian expatriates in Qatar
Indian Navy officers
Indian people imprisoned abroad
Indian spies
21st-century spies
Quantified groups of defendants