A former Indian Navy officer who was among eight personnel sentenced in Qatar on espionage charges has not been able to return to India due to his detention in a separate case, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.
Purnendu Tiwari, one of the eight ex-Navy officials arrested in 2022, remains in Qatar even after the others were released and repatriated following the commutation of their death sentences by a Qatari court in 2023.
Separate case cited by MEA
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Tiwari’s continued detention is unrelated to the earlier espionage case.
“The eighth naval veteran… has a particular case against him. It has nothing to do with the earlier case,” Jaiswal said during a weekly briefing.
He added that a local court in Qatar has already delivered
a ruling in the matter and sentenced Tiwari, though details of the verdict were not disclosed.
India remains in touch with Tiwari, his family and legal representatives, the MEA said.
Allegations of financial irregularities
According to sources, the case against Tiwari is linked to alleged financial irregularities involving his former employer in Qatar.
This case is understood to have emerged separately from the espionage charges that had led to the arrest of the eight former Navy personnel.
Family raises concerns
Tiwari’s family has raised concerns over his continued detention and deteriorating health.
In a social media post, his sister Meetu Bhargava said he has been in custody for nearly five months in the current case and is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) along with other health issues.
She alleged that the charges were connected to the earlier case despite his having been pardoned, and questioned why his return to India had not been secured.
Background of the case
Eight former Indian Navy personnel were detained in Qatar in 2022 on allegations of espionage. A Qatari court had initially handed down death sentences, which were later commuted, paving the way for the release of seven of them earlier this year.
Tiwari is now the only one among the group still in custody.
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