Navy Veterans Jailed In Qatar Had No Clue They Were Coming Home: Sources

The seven Navy veterans reached Delhi in an IndiGo flight that landed at 2 am.

The seven Navy veterans jailed in Qatar, who were brought back to India today, had no clue of their imminent release, sources have told NDTV. The veterans, the sources said, were asked by jailors last night to pack their things and wait at about 9 am (local time) yesterday. They were then whisked away to the Embassy and subsequently taken to the airport, sources said. They boarded an IndiGo flight that landed in Delhi at 2 am.

The seven veterans are among eight Indians sentenced to death by a Qatar court in October, allegedly for spying. The capital punishment was commuted in December following India's diplomatic intervention. The lone veteran not back yet is working through some paper work and is expected to return soon.

The veterans who returned today are Captain Navtej Singh Gill (retired), Captain Saurabh Vasisht (retired), Commander Purnendu Tiwari (retired), Captain Birendra Kumar Verma (retired), Commander Sugunakar Pakala (retired), Commander Sanjeev Gupta (retired), Commander Amit Nagpal (retired) and Sailor Ragesh (retired). The eight veterans were arrested in Qatar in 2022 and were in jail since.