New Delhi: The family members of the eight former Indian Navy officers who have been detained in Qatar since August 2022 were allowed to meet them recently, according to a New Indian Express report.
The report added that the visit was facilitated by Dahra Consultancies, the company they were working for. “This is being viewed as a goodwill gesture by Dahra as they have provided for the air travel and accommodation and have ensured that the visit is seamless. Dahra has already offered the officers a severance package and would be shutting down all operations in Doha on May 31,” a source told the newspaper.
The charges against the eight former Indian Navy officers have not officially been revealed, although reports suggest they are accused of spying for Israel about Qatar’s sensitive project to build Italian technology-based midget submarines with stealth characteristics. According to reports, Qatari authorities are in possession of electronic evidence that supports the claim.
The second hearing in the case will be held on May 3.
The retired officers are Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commodore Amit Nagpal, Commodore Purnendu Tiwari, Commodore Sugunakar Pakala, Commodore Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh.
According to the New Indian Express, the family members may be allowed to attend the second hearing. “It is likely that they would be informed about the charges that have been levelled against them. Some sources have been pointing out that some charges are common for the eight naval veterans and also the CEO of Dahra Global (Khamis al-Ajmi) and Major General Tariq Khalid Al Obaidly (former head international military in Doha),” an anonymous source told the newspaper. The latter two, who are Qatari nationals, have been released on bail.