British staff kidnapped in Qatar

Researcher Krishna Upadhyaya, 52, and photographer Ghimire Gundev, 36, from London, were due to fly from Doha to London on Sunday but failed to arrive at the airport.

The Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD) said the pair had "feared they might be in danger" after being harassed by police and had decided to leave the country when they disappeared.

The Foreign Office said it is aware of reports of one missing British national.

A statement from GNRD, based in Norway, said it "holds Qatari authorities responsible for the security and safety of its kidnapped employees".

Ala Abu Dakka, a programme manager at the NGO, said staff are working tirelessly to locate the pair.

"It has been four days now and we are still putting pressure on the Qatari authorities to disclose where they are," he said.

"We do believe that they have an idea of where they are because they were being followed by plain clothes police.

"They were being harassed by police before they disappeared. They were very worried and feared they might be in danger.

"We told them to leave Qatar for their safety to avoid the situation we have now. They were due to fly to London and on to Norway.

"We are very concerned about their welfare. We think they are being investigated in unknown circumstances."

The pair had been looking in to reports of poor treatment of Nepalese migrant workers in the lead up to the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

They arrived in the country on August 27 and were due to stay up to one week but reported their fears on Saturday.

Mr Gundev's family in both Nepal and Europe called for the immediate release of the "loving father of two".

In a statement they said: "He is a kind-hearted man who is always interested in helping the disabled and poor.

"He is indirectly or directly involved personally in many social-welfare works in Nepal helping people understand their human rights."

GNRD said it is prepared to take legal action against Qatari authorities.