NEW DELHI: The man accused of leaving a trail of corpses behind him in Singapore Greece Afghanistan Hong Kong Turkey Iran and India Charles Sobhraj appeared in Tis Hazari court as if walking on to a set of Hindi film.
Donning a lilac pullover light colored pair of denim jeans and & navy blue cap Sobhraj gave the impression of being a man in love with good things of life For that extra effect he had two gold and black fountain pens neatly tucked in his pocket I never go anywhere without them)
In 1984 Sobhraj drove out of Tihar jail after drugging the jail staff. And two weeks Sobhiraj was arrested in Goa by the Bombay police.
He looked a changed man with patience writ large on his face and a quaint smile on his lips as he waited for his turn before additional sessions Judge L D.Mual at the Tis Hazari court Known for his criminal exploits Sobhraj disguised the cunning of a conman beneath the calm unruffled appearance as he spoke in a hushed tone: Bight years in prison have changed me Now I regret certain things I have done in life am reformed. A very simple man.
Sobliraj a Viemnamese-born French citizen has been featured in two best-selling books. He is accused of posing as a gem dealer in Thailand befriending rich tourists then drugging and robbing them He has studied psychology at the Sorborino in Paris and Travelled around Asia for years. He was arrested in India in 1976 and convicted of drugging a French tourist group and fatally drugging two other foreign tourists. Both convictions were quashed by a higher court and further Government appeal against that decision was pending in the Supreme Court where Sobhr caped from Tihar prison in 1986.
But now files seem to interest him more. Browsing intently into the files on his lap Sobhraj casually smoothed the collar of his shirt the Umpteenth time pretending to be entirely oblivious of the presence of the cops holding him captive.
Legal observers say by the time this case is adjudicated Sobhraj would be a free man in view of the Sluggish Indian legal system. The trial might take at least three to five years after completing the process of framing of charges.
Thailand has tried for 18 years. to extradite Sobhraj 49 to answer charges of drugging robbing and Killing tourists Butunder Thailand’s 20-year statute of limitations the charges against Sobhraj will be dropped in December 1995 if he is not extradited by then.
the trials were delayed by the transfer of four judges in succession during preliminary proceedings forcing the case to start from scratch each time. Last September the prosecutor withdrew saying the city of New Delhi had not paid him for his work but returned to the case when the debt was paid.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 4, 1994
