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Qatar has released eight former officers of the Indian navy after dropping their death sentences<\/a>, India\u2019s foreign ministry said on Monday, crediting the Qatari emir for the decision more than 18 months after the arrest challenged diplomatic ties.<\/p>\n The men were accused of spying for Israel, according to sources, though India and Qatar did not confirm the charges against them. Their death sentence, handed down in October<\/a>, was dropped in December.<\/p>\n Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who \u201cpersonally supervised all developments\u201d in the case, will visit Qatar on February 14 and hold talks with its ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, India\u2019s foreign secretary told reporters.<\/p>\n India said seven of the men had returned to the country and authorities were making efforts to bring back the eighth citizen. Some of the men told local media on arrival in New Delhi that it was Modi\u2019s intervention that helped free them.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t have been possible without his personal intervention and his equation with Qatar,\u201d one of the men told ANI<\/em>. None of the men was named.<\/p>\n