He was finally brought to justice in July 1976 in Delhi where he had befriended a group of French students and became their unofficial guide. The students, obviously, were delighted to have a Frenchman in their midst. His plan was to drug them and then rob them.

And when Sobhraj offered a pill to some students saying it would ward off dysentery, they took it gladly. But his plan backfired when the pill acted too quickly and those who took it started falling unconscious.

A few of the students who had not taken the pill became suspicious, wrestled Sobhraj to the ground and handed him over to the police.

Found guilty of poisoning, Charles was sent to Tihar Jail in Delhi, where he somehow managed to acquire a celebrity status. He was reportedly allowed to keep a television set, order gourmet food and fine wine.

Photo: Sondeep Shankar/Saap Press