Murders Charles Sobhraj

on run again, sobhraj financed lifestyle posing either gem salesman or drug dealer impress , befriend tourists, whom defrauded. in thailand, sobhraj met marie-andrée leclerc (1945-1984) lévis, quebec, tourist looking adventure. dominated sobhraj, became devoted follower, turning blind eye crimes , philandering local women.

charles sobhraj gathered followers gaining loyalty: typical scam target out of difficult situations. in 1 case, helped 2 former french policemen, yannick , jacques. sought sobhraj s recover missing passports. sobhraj had stolen passports. in scheme, sobhraj provided shelter frenchman, dominique rennelleau, appeared suffering dysentery. sobhraj had poisoned rennelleau. joined young indian, ajay chowdhury, fellow criminal became sobhraj s second-in-command.

sobhraj , chowdhury committed first (known) murders in 1975. of victims had spent time duo before deaths , were, according investigators, recruited sobhraj , chowdhury join pair in crimes. investigators state victims had threatened expose sobhraj, motive murder. first victim young woman seattle. teresa knowlton (named jennie bollivar in book serpentine) found drowned in tidal pool in gulf of thailand. wearing flowered bikini. months later knowlton s autopsy, forensic evidence, proved drowning, believed swimming accident, murder.

the next victim young nomadic sephardic jew, vitali hakim, burnt body found on road pattaya resort, sobhraj , growing clan staying. dutch students henk bintanja, 29, , fiancée cornelia hemker, 25, invited thailand after meeting sobhraj in hong kong. they, many others, poisoned sobhraj, nurtured them health in order gain obedience. recovered, sobhraj visited previous victim hakim s french girlfriend, charmayne carrou, had come investigate boyfriend s disappearance. fearing exposure, sobhraj , chowdhury hustled couple out. bodies found strangled , burned on 16 december 1975. after, carrou found drowned , wearing similar-styled swimsuit of sobhraj s earlier victim, teresa knowlton. although murders of both women not connected investigations @ time, later earn sobhraj nickname bikini killer.

on 18 december, day bodies of bintanja , hemker identified, sobhraj , leclerc entered nepal using deceased pair s passports. leclerc , sobhraj met in nepal and, on 21–22 december, murdered laurent carrière, 26 (from canada), , connie bronzich, 29 (from united states); 2 victims incorrectly identified in sources laddie duparr , annabella tremont. sobhraj , leclerc returned thailand, using latest victims passports before bodies identified. upon return thailand, sobhraj discovered 3 french companions had started suspect him of serial murder, having found documents belonging murder victims. sobhraj s former companions fled paris after notifying local authorities.

sobhraj s next destination either varanasi or calcutta, murdered israeli scholar avoni jacob obtain jacob s passport. sobhraj used passport travel leclerc , chowdhury - first singapore, india, and, in march 1976, returning bangkok, despite knowing authorities there sought him. clan interrogated thai policemen in connection murders, released because authorities feared negative publicity accompanying murder trial harm country s tourist industry.

meanwhile, dutch embassy diplomat herman knippenberg investigating murders of bintanja , hemker. knippenberg had knowledge of, , had possibly met sobhraj, although latter s true identity still unknown diplomat, continued gathering evidence. of neighbour of sobhraj, knippenberg built case against him. knippenberg given police permission search sobhraj s apartment, full month after suspect had left country. knippenberg found evidence, including victims documents , passports, poisons , syringes. trio s next stop malaysia, chowdhury sent steal gems. chowdhury observed delivering gems sobhraj. last time ever seen, , neither chowdhury nor remains ever found. believed sobhraj murdered former accomplice before leaving malaysia continue , leclerc s roles gem salesmen in geneva. source later claimed have sighted chowdhury in germany, claim appeared unsubstantiated. search chowdhury continues.

soon in asia, sobhraj started build new criminal family, starting 2 lost western women, barbara smith , mary ellen eather, in bombay. sobhraj s next victim frenchman, jean-luc solomon, poisoning during robbery, intended incapacitate him, left him dead.

in july 1976 in new delhi, sobhraj, joined three-woman criminal clan, tricked tour group of french post-graduate students accepting them tour guides. sobhraj drugged them giving them poisoned pills, told them anti-dysentery medicine. however, when drugs started acting more sobhraj had anticipated, students began fall unconscious. 3 of students realized sobhraj had done. overpowered him , contacted police, leading capture. during interrogation, sobhraj s accomplices, barbara , mary ellen, buckled , confessed. sobhraj charged murder of solomon, , 4 sent tihar prison, new delhi, while awaiting formal trial.