Shobraj & crime - identical
Pramod Raj Sedhain
The Supreme Court rejected an appeal by convicted killer Charles Sobhraj over the murder of an American backpacker. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of US tourist Connie Jo Bronzich in 1975. Sobhraj has been serving term for the past seven years. Supreme Court Justices Ram Kumar Prasad Shah and Gauri Dhakal said that the verdict on the case will be announced after two weeks -- that is -- on July 30. Sobhraj was arrested by Nepal Police while he came to visit Nepal and was sentenced to life imprisonment on August 12, 2004.
Nicknamed "Serial Killer" and "Bikini Killer"
The 'bikini-killer' linked to murders throughout Asia, Charles Shobraj is a popular, yet disliked name for his heinous crime. Serial-killer Sobhraj has been an annoyance to many, especially to the police when it comes to his deceptive disguises, murder tactic and escaping from the jails. Throughout his criminal career, Sobhraj either escaped from jail or bribed the authorities to treat him preferentially while in prison. His knack for deceptive disguises, coupled with his tendency to target young women earned him the nickname, "The Serpent," or the "Bikini Killer." Sixtyfour-year old Sobhraj is also believed to have escaped from prisons in Afghanistan, Greece, Iran and India. So extraordinary has been his life of crime that after being released from jail in India - where he served a 20 year sentence for poisoning a busload of French tourists - the film and book rights were reportedly sold to a French actor-producer for 15m US dollars. Rejection by his father was an act which caused considerable resentment and bitterness in the young Sobhraj. His tactic, say his critics, was always the same. Between 1972 to 1982, Sobhraj has been implicated in more than 20 killings in which the victims were drugged, strangled, beaten or burned. His capacity for violence, critics say, is matched only by his ability to escape from prison. In 1971, he escaped from jail in India by feigning appendicitis and making his getaway from hospital. He was re-arrested in 1976, but 10 years later made an even more audacious escape: this time by throwing a birthday party in which guards and prisoners alike were invited. Grapes and biscuits handed around the guests were secretly injected with sleeping pills, knocking out everyone except Sobhraj and four other escapees. He often said as long as he can talk to people, he can manipulate them. As a fugitive, Sobhraj is reported to have behaved more like a holidaying student than a desperate prisoner prepared to stop at nothing to evade justice. He openly drank in bars and showed off an Italian made pistol to fellow drinkers. Needless to say, it was not long before he was re-arrested. But, it is alleged, there was a method in his madness. Critics say that he deliberately escaped towards the end of his 10 year jail term in order to be re-captured and face new charges for his escape. That way he could avoid extradition to Thailand where he was wanted for five murders and would almost certainly be given the death penalty. By the time of his release in 1997, the 20 year time-frame for him to be tried in Bangkok had lapsed. But the authorities caught up with him again several years later. In 2003, he was arrested in a Kathmandu casino for allegedly travelling on a false passport and for murders of a Canadian man and an American woman which he allegedly carried out 28 years ago. As in the other cases registered against him, Sobhraj denied the charges. But this time, police said they had a "suitcase full" of evidence against him. And the judge agreed, despite Sobhraj's appeal that he had been convicted without proof or witnesses. Sobhraj, a French national, was sentenced to life by a Nepalese court in August after holding him guilty of murdering American woman Konizo Brohich here in December 1975.
Nicknamed "Serial Killer" and "Bikini Killer"
The 'bikini-killer' linked to murders throughout Asia, Charles Shobraj is a popular, yet disliked name for his heinous crime. Serial-killer Sobhraj has been an annoyance to many, especially to the police when it comes to his deceptive disguises, murder tactic and escaping from the jails. Throughout his criminal career, Sobhraj either escaped from jail or bribed the authorities to treat him preferentially while in prison. His knack for deceptive disguises, coupled with his tendency to target young women earned him the nickname, "The Serpent," or the "Bikini Killer." Sixtyfour-year old Sobhraj is also believed to have escaped from prisons in Afghanistan, Greece, Iran and India. So extraordinary has been his life of crime that after being released from jail in India - where he served a 20 year sentence for poisoning a busload of French tourists - the film and book rights were reportedly sold to a French actor-producer for 15m US dollars. Rejection by his father was an act which caused considerable resentment and bitterness in the young Sobhraj. His tactic, say his critics, was always the same. Between 1972 to 1982, Sobhraj has been implicated in more than 20 killings in which the victims were drugged, strangled, beaten or burned. His capacity for violence, critics say, is matched only by his ability to escape from prison. In 1971, he escaped from jail in India by feigning appendicitis and making his getaway from hospital. He was re-arrested in 1976, but 10 years later made an even more audacious escape: this time by throwing a birthday party in which guards and prisoners alike were invited. Grapes and biscuits handed around the guests were secretly injected with sleeping pills, knocking out everyone except Sobhraj and four other escapees. He often said as long as he can talk to people, he can manipulate them. As a fugitive, Sobhraj is reported to have behaved more like a holidaying student than a desperate prisoner prepared to stop at nothing to evade justice. He openly drank in bars and showed off an Italian made pistol to fellow drinkers. Needless to say, it was not long before he was re-arrested. But, it is alleged, there was a method in his madness. Critics say that he deliberately escaped towards the end of his 10 year jail term in order to be re-captured and face new charges for his escape. That way he could avoid extradition to Thailand where he was wanted for five murders and would almost certainly be given the death penalty. By the time of his release in 1997, the 20 year time-frame for him to be tried in Bangkok had lapsed. But the authorities caught up with him again several years later. In 2003, he was arrested in a Kathmandu casino for allegedly travelling on a false passport and for murders of a Canadian man and an American woman which he allegedly carried out 28 years ago. As in the other cases registered against him, Sobhraj denied the charges. But this time, police said they had a "suitcase full" of evidence against him. And the judge agreed, despite Sobhraj's appeal that he had been convicted without proof or witnesses. Sobhraj, a French national, was sentenced to life by a Nepalese court in August after holding him guilty of murdering American woman Konizo Brohich here in December 1975.
The Victims:
1975 - Teresa Knowlton (Seattle) - Pattaya, Thailand
1975 - Jennie Bollivar (America) - Pattaya, Thailand
1975 - Vitali Hakim (Sephardic Jew) - Pattaya, Thailand
1975 - Henk Bintanja, 29 (Dutch student) -Pattaya, Thailand
1975 - Cornelia Hemker, 25 (Dutch student) - Pattaya, Thailand
1975 - Charmayne Carrou (Hakim’s girlfriend) - Pattaya, Thailand
1975 - Laurent Ormond Carriere, 26 (Canada) - Kathmandu, Nepal
1975 - Connie Bronzich, 29 (California) - Kathmandu, Nepal
1975 - Avoni Jacob (Israeli student) – Calcutta, India
1975 - Jean-Luc Solomon (France) – Delhi, India
Arrested:
1963 – Paris – burglary1969 – Paris - evading police in a stolen vehicle
1973 – Delhi - armed robbery1973 – Afghanistan – robbery
1975 – Greece – robbery1976 – New Delhi - murder (Solomon)
1986 – Goa – jailbreak
2003 – Kathmandu, Nepal – murder (Carriere and Bronzich)Jails escaped by Charles Shobraj· French prison in 1969
· A hospital in India 1971
· Afghanistan prison in 1972
· Iranian prison in 1973
· Greece prison in 1975
· Tihad Jail (India) 1986
· A hospital in India 1971
· Afghanistan prison in 1972
· Iranian prison in 1973
· Greece prison in 1975
· Tihad Jail (India) 1986
