India's foreign ministry said yesterday that Qatar had freed eight ex-navy personnel it had previously arrested and sentenced to death, reportedly for spying for Israel.

The foreign ministry never gave details on the eight Indian nationals or their alleged crimes, and Qatar has not commented on the case or made the charges public.

But Indian media have reported that the men -- among them former high-ranking and decorated officers -- were arrested in Doha in August 2022.

In October, India said it was "shocked" after a Qatari court had sentenced them to death, but the sentence was reduced in December. The eight men were employees of Al Dahra, a Gulf-based company that offers "complete support solutions" to the aerospace, security and defence sectors.