Amit Gupta, the regional head of Tech Mahindra for Qatar and Kuwait, was detained on 1st January 2025 with no formal charges revealed. Since then, he has been languishing in a Qatari jail. Multiple media reports have confirmed that his detention has now crossed three months, and the Qatari authorities are not revealing the exact reason behind the detention, leaving his family in distress. Amit’s family has alleged he is in solitary confinement. Furthermore, he has not been provided with any consular access and there is no clarity on legal proceedings.
Detained without explanation
Amit’s father, JP Gupta, spoke to the media and said that his 42-year-old tech executive son was picked up by Qatari state security officials while he was out to have food on New Year’s Day. His family came to know about the detention the next morning. Since then, he has been in custody, which is getting extended repeatedly. First, he was put under 31-day detention, which was extended for 20 days and then for 15 days in March. Authorities have not provided any clarification to his family or the Indian authorities.
Speaking to CNBC-TV18, he said, “We still don’t know under what charges Amit has been detained… There is absolutely no clarity on the official charges, what Amit is accused of, or when he will be released. Each passing day makes things more suspicious for us.”
The only alleged reason shared informally, according to the family, is a vague accusation that Tech Mahindra “manipulated and took over other contracts”. Amit reportedly offered full cooperation, but the family says nothing has progressed since.
A senior official with a clean track record
Amit joined Tech Mahindra in 2012. In 2022, he was made the country head for Qatar and Kuwait. In 2013, he moved to Doha after completing an MBA in Marketing and Systems from the International Management Institute (IMI), New Delhi, and a B.Tech in Computer Science from MNIT, Jaipur. Over the years, Amit rose from a senior sales manager to a key figure managing the regional operations in the Middle East for the company.
His father said, “All these years, life was as peaceful and content as any family would want until the 2nd of January, when we woke up to the tragic news of Amit being detained.”
Solitary confinement, minimal sunlight, and no consular access
According to his family, he has been kept in solitary confinement, allowing him to speak to them only for five minutes every Wednesday. Apart from that, Amit only gets 10 minutes of sunlight a day. His father added, “He has no interaction with others. Even after we visited Qatar for a month in February, all our efforts to provide him some relief have been in vain.” The family says they have managed to meet Amit only once, for 25–30 minutes.
The Indian Embassy also made efforts to ensure Amit gets official consular access, however, to date, there has been no clarity on that aspect of the case either. The family said, “His custody has been indefinitely extended.”
The family has met Vadodara’s Lok Sabha MP, BJP leader Hemang Joshi. He promised to take the matter with the Centre and meet officials in Qatar Embassy.
Gujarat: BJP MP Hemang Joshi says, "Our Baroda citizen, Amit Gupta, who has been working in Qatar Tech Mahindra for the past 10 years, and he had this problem. He was going out after eating, and the local security agency took him into custody. His parents had gone to Qatar for a… https://t.co/aeBnU3s4hb pic.twitter.com/e9dhJogfww
— IANS (@ians_india) March 22, 2025
Tech Mahindra and Indian government respond
In a statement to CNBC-TV18, Tech Mahindra said, “We remain in close contact with the family, providing necessary support to them. We are also actively coordinating with authorities in both countries and adhering to due process. Ensuring the well-being of our colleague is our top priority.”
Hindustan Times quoted unnamed sources from the Indian Embassy in Qatar and stated that the mission is “providing all possible assistance” and is “closely following the case”. However, Gupta’s family say there has been “no positive response” from any side.
A painful wait for answers
Amit’s father said that they have submitted appeals to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister’s Office, and Tech Mahindra. However, they have been waiting for any tangible response. He said, “We expect little progress unless higher authorities intervene. The conditions Amit is living in now are extremely inhumane and cruel—for both him and us.”
This is the second high-profile case involving an Indian citizen being detained in Qatar in recent years. In 2022, eight former Indian Navy officers were arrested and later sentenced to death. Their sentences were commuted, and they were released in February 2024 following strong intervention by the Indian government.
