Charles Sobhraj to undergo heart surgery

'Bikini killer' Charles Sobhraj, who is undergoing life imprisonment in Kathmandu's Central Jail, will undergo open heart surgery on Saturday after being diagnosed with a leaking valve, a hospital source said.

The 73-year-old Sobhraj, who has been in the Central Jail for the last 12 years after being convicted for murdering an American tourist, was admitted to the Shahid Gangalal National Heart Centre here on Friday.

Due to security reasons, police and hospital have not revealed the health status of Sobhraj, who holds French citizenship, despite a lot of interest about his health by some foreign countries and media.

Sobhraj had recently fainted in jail and was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a leakage in the mitral valve, which controls flow of blood in the left section of the heart and whose inadequate functioning leads patients to exhibit symptoms including palpitation, and shortness of breath. Surgery was suggested.

A senior doctor of the hospital confirmed that almost all preparations have been completed for surgery and the valve can be repaired or replaced, as needed.

After confirmation of his operation date, the hospital had asked the Home Ministry to provide additional security to guard him.

Sobhraj is closely guarded in hospital with a dozen security force personnel deployed around his cabin, said hospital sources.

Linked to multiple killing of backpack tourists, Sobhraj was sentenced by the Supreme Court to a life term for murdering American Connie Joe Bronzich in 1975.

He had earlier spent 21 years in Indian jails and had even escaped from Delhi's Tihar jail in 1986 after drugging the security guard by serving spiked sweets to them on his own birthday. This was believed to escape an outstanding extradition warrant to Thailand where he had been convicted and sentenced to death as additional sentence for this crime would allow the Thai sentencing to lapse.

Finally in 1997, he went to Paris and later came to Nepal where he was spotted in 2003, arrested, tried and sentenced.

He has believed to have killed 20 people up to the end of 1970s, including in Nepal and India.

(Anil Giri can be reached at girianil@gmail.com)

--IANS

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