Wednesday, 22 October 2003 |
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Nepal charges Sobhraj of murder KATHMANDU, Tuesday (Reuters) Nepali authorities charged notorious criminal Charles Sobhraj, known as the "Serpent" and the "Bikini Killer", with the 1975 murder of an American backpacker in Kathmandu. Police are also questioning Sobhraj, a master of disguise and escape, over the murder of a Canadian tourist in the Nepali capital in the same year. The French national, whose exploits across Asia spawned two books and a movie, was arrested last month while gambling in a posh hotel casino in the heart of Kathmandu. He denies any involvement in either death and says he has never been to Nepal before. Sobhraj, 59, who has been accused by police in several Asian countries of killing more than 20 Western backpackers, has already spent 20 years in jail in India for a string of crimes, including murder and robbery. A court in Kathmandu denied him bail at the end of a day-long preliminary hearing on Monday. Sobhraj's counsel Sanjeev Kumar Ghimire said he would appeal to a higher court against the ruling. |
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