Former Indian Navy officer Commander Purnendu Tiwari was arrested again in Qatar in December after a court verdict, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.
MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “He was arrested last month in a case that has been going on in Qatar for quite some time now… there are several others who have been arrested, but they are not Indian nationals. Our embassy is in touch with Commander Tiwari and his family… The arrest happened after a court verdict. This matter is sub judice and it would not be appropriate for me to comment any further…”
Tiwari was earlier taken into custody in August 2022, along with seven other former Indian Navy personnel. The charges against them were never made public by the Qatari authorities.
They were handed the death sentence in October 2023. India had called the verdict “deeply shocking”. Following the Indian government’s intervention, the eight men were released in February 2024. While seven of them returned to India, Tiwari was asked to stay back in Qatar in connection with charges against him.
