Former Navy Commander to Reach Vizag from Qatar
VISHAKHAPATNAM: Former Navy commander Sugunakar Pakala is likely to reach Vizag from the Qatar jail on Tuesday. The Vizag resident was among the eight former Indian Navy personnel sentenced to death in Qatar where they were working for a private company.
The Union external affairs ministry (MEA) contacted Sugunakar's wife, Y. Jayanthi, and informed her about the plans for the return of her husband by late Monday or Tuesday. In a statement on Monday, the ministry said that seven out of eight Indian nationals have returned to India.
Sugunakar's wife, Jayanthi said she spoke to her husband and enquired about his health during a telephone conversation.
Sugunakar, 54, was an ex-Indian naval officer. His family said the officer created a milestone by crossing the equator twice on the Navy’s sole sail ship INS Tarangini.
The family members thanked the central government, the people’s representatives and the officials for their help and support to bring Sugunakar back to India.
BJP Rajya Sabha member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao, said, “With the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the eight ex-servicemen were released from Qatar jail. Vizag’s Sugunakar Palekar is one among them. Sugunakar's wife Jayanthi met me once. After this, I wrote a letter to the MEA.”