NEW DELHI: India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday it was “deeply shocked” by the news that eight Indian nationals have been sentenced by a Qatari court to death. The ministry said in a statement that the Court of First Instance of Qatar passed the verdict on Thursday and the case involved Indian employees from security firm Dahra — a private company providing training to the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces. The men, former Indian Navy officers, have been in custody since August 2022 and were granted consular access in early October. “We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgment. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” the ministry said. “We attach high importance to this case, and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities.” While official charges have not been made public, Qatari and Indian media widely reported that the eight former servicemen were arrested over spying for Israel. Since last year, Indian authorities have repeatedly declined to comment on the charges leveled against the men. “Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture,” the Ministry of External Affairs said. Qatar has yet to release any public information on the arrest and sentence.