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The Arrest

Crime Files

The Arrest

Charles Sobhraj was in and out of prison since 1963 for a variety of crimes, including armed robbery, car theft and burglary. He served time in France, India and Afghanistan.

His first major arrest came in July 1976 after he tried to drug a group of French tourists in New Delhi. When the pills affected some of the group faster than the others, three of his victims had time to attack him and alert the authorities. Sobhraj was sentenced to 12 years in prison and really embraced his life inside. He bribed lots of the guards and proceeded to live a life of luxury.

However, he was due to be extradited and almost certainly executed for committing murder in Thailand after his release. So in 1986, he threw a massive party for all the guards and fellow inmates in the Indian prison. He took the opportunity to drug them all and simply walked out unopposed.

Sobhraj's plan worked perfectly. He was recaptured and had his sentence extended by 10 years to ensure he was free from the 20-year Thai statute of limitations.

He was released from prison in 1997 and returned to France where he lived comfortably. He then chose to move to Nepal in 2003 and promptly re-arrested. He was sentenced to life imprisonment the following year for the murders of Laurent Carrière and Connie Jo Bronzich.