Sobhraj was convicted of using a stupefying substance in 1976 in India. He had arrest warrants for murder in 1975 in Thailand. He received a 12 year sentence in India. In 1986, he orchestrated an escape from the Tihar Jail. His goal was to extend his sentence so he could avoid extradition to Thailand. Statute of limitation for murder in Thailand was 20 years.
Sobhraj's sentence was in India was extended to 20 years (12 + attempted escape using stupefying substance), so the arrest warrants in Thailand expired. That meant the murders of the Dutch couple, the French couple, and several other tourists/travellers, could no longer be tried. In Thailand, Sobhraj was facing a speedy trial and execution by firing squad. Instead, he was released in 1997 and returned to France.
In 2004, he returned to Nepal, where in Dec 1975 he robbed Connie Jo Bronzich (USA) and Lawrence Carrier (CAN) before burning their bodies. He was quickly detained in 1975, but avoided arrest by posing as his Dutch murder victim. He might have believed that the statute of limitation for murder had expired in Nepal, or perhaps he thought he could talk his way out of murder charges based on his false passport use. He avoided the firing squad in Thailand, but he spent another 20 years in prison for the Nepal murders. He is 78 years old. A timeline of his life and people who disappeared in those areas would be interesting.
"In July [1976], he then
gave a group of French post-graduate students poison pills, telling them it was anti-dysentery medicine. However, the drugs took effect more quickly than Sobhraj had anticipated, the students began to fall unconscious. Three of the students, realising what Sobhraj had done, overpowered him and contacted the police, leading to his capture.
...
The crime landed him
12 years in prison and Sobhraj was sent to Tihar Jail. As per the law,
following the end of his term, Indian authorities were supposed to hand him over to Thai Police where he awaited a death sentence. Therefore, that’s when he plotted a daring escape.
...
Prior to his time in Kathmandu jail, Sobhraj, known as the ‘Bikini Killer’ and ‘The Serpent’ owing to his skill of deception and evasion, also spent time in India’s notorious prison — Tihar Jail in New Delhi — after he was arrested in July of 1976. The suave and charismatic killer earned even more notoriety and displayed his skills of manipulation and deceit when he broke free of the jail in 1986, launching one of the biggest manhunts in India."
FirstPost
