They were reportedly working for a private firm providing services to the Qatari Emiri Navy

India has been in constant touch with the Qatari authorities and families of eight Indian nationals who have been in detention in Qatar for more than 70 days, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

According to reports, the detained persons are former Indian Navy personnel working with a private firm.

Stating that New Delhi and Doha have “good bilateral relations”, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the government has requested another round of consular access.

“We are following the case closely. We have been trying to resolve this. I would not like to talk about legal issues without knowing the full details. We are in touch with the families and trying for (another round of) consular access to them. We have good bilateral relations with Qatar," Bagchi said in response to a query at the weekly media briefing.

According to reports, the eight personnel were working for a private firm to provide training and services such as logistics and equipment maintenance to the Qatari Emiri Navy.

Replying to another question about the two Indian nationals missing in Kenya since July this year, Bagchi said the case remains under "active investigation" by the Kenyan authorities.

He added that an Indian investigation team visited Nairobi from November 1-3.

"They met the Department of Public Prosecution and the Department of Criminal Investigation of the Kenyan government. They offered all possible assistance in the case, including DNA analysis or forensic analysis that the Kenyan side may require to carry out their investigation," Bagchi said.

"We are following the case very closely and we are also in touch with the affected family members," the MEA Spokesperson pointed out.

Responding to a separate question on 16 Indian sailors stuck in a merchant ship in Africa, Bagchi said, “Our embassies are in touch with sailors. We have been able to have several round of consular access. They are in Equitorial Guinea. We will extend all the help."