May 1, 2010

Papillion


what is life but an excuse for death,or death but an escape from life...

just like the butterfly counts not months...but moments...and has time enough...


- Papillion -






‘My name is Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh’


The Interrogator , Lock Up Incident.

139 Wireless Road Police Station, Bangkok.

Time – 1 hour to Monday.


‘Ok tell me , what’s your name again ?’ Inspector Phasit Ratnapentrakul said as he lit a cigarette.

‘Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh’ he said looking blankly into the inspector’s cold eyes.

‘So what were you doing in the afternoon today?' Inspector interrogated.

'I broke into a gem shop at 1.30PM’ he said as a matter-of-fact.

‘and why would you do that?’ ‘why didn’t you run away?’ The inspector lifted his right eyebrow quizzically.

‘I did try to – but your patrol officer nabbed me’ Hatchand said, and slowly turned his head towards the patrol officer standing beside the inspector.

‘Don’t you think it is kind of strange, that there was a murder just around that same time at Bluemoon hotel.?’

'A waiter in the nearby restaurant seemed to have seen someone like you.’

‘Could be,Bangkok is a tourist destination. There are many tourists isn’t it Mr. Sub Inspector Phichai’?

There was silence. They looked at each other.


‘hmm it's a pity,looks like you won't talk tonight…my Sunday night bliss is officially over.’

‘take him away and lock him up – we’ll deal with him first thing tomorrow morning’ Inspector Phasit commanded his deputy, stretching his arms.

As he saw Hatchand walk away, he noticed scratch marks on his arms and a snake tattoo on his right shoulder.

Before he could think deeper, the telephone rang in the main room.

‘Wireless road police station,Inspector Phasit speaking’

‘Phasit - Worma here – Sawatdee Khrab’

‘hello - what a surprise – it’s good to know I am not the only joker working on a Sunday night.’ Inspector Phasit joked.

‘duty calls my friend - duty calls..' Worma said.

‘likewise, so… how can I help you?’

‘well I just called to let you know & alert your station – there was a body of a young girl dumped in a shack- outskirts of the beach,robbed and drugged as well – looks like a very, very ,disturbed killer out there –

‘hmm any witnesses ?’

‘mmm not much – but one by stander – some Indian fellow – think his name was Vijay something -suggested he saw the girl with some middle aged foreigner…the only identification was a snake tattoo’

Hatchand's image flashed in front of his eyes...and his snake tattoo...

‘hold on – what time did this happen?’ Inspector Phasit interrupted.

‘We have it recorded as 1.30PM’

‘WHAT?’ exclaimed a shocked Inspector Phasit.

'Phichai - get here right now' - and he rushed to see the new prisoner…but by the time he reached his cell…there was a new prisoner – Sub Inspector Phichai lay on the floor with froth coming out of his mouth.


Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh had vacated the premises.

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a few hours earlier...


The Blue , Blood Incident

Bangkok Downtown

1.30PM


A Caucasian tourist in Bangkok was never left alone. Everyone had something to offer…be it massages, sex or even drugs. A typical European back-packer Ann-Marie ,29, walked in to the Blue Jaz restaurant. Their tag line read ‘the finest cuisine for the finest people.’ – she fit the bill perfectly. Tall, shapely, and had mystical eyes. The kind which could attract someone’s attention instantly.

Ann-Marie’s French accent while speaking English, meant not many people would be her friends in that part of the world. The Blue Jaz waiter was just one of them.

But to him there was nothing unclear.The tourist had eaten a sumptuous lunch,drunk well, and now it was time to pay. He wanted the money. Simple isn’t it?

But she had none.

Ironically,her story was simple too. She forgot her wallet in the hotel, and all she wanted to do,was to go and quickly get the money to pay the bill.

‘pourquoi ne pas vous comprendre? She muttered to herself.

This angered the waiter even more. She was tensed and it seemed to her that the people in the restaurant stopped eating to look at her situation.

‘why don’t you understand’ she pleaded one more time, this time in English... the waiter was beginning to look a little more threatening as he put his hands on his hips.

Just then a smooth suave baritone voice commented – ‘Je vais prendre soin d'elle’


Ann-Marie froze for a moment - 'If there was ever a time God existed – it was now.'


The gentleman nodded at the waiter, indicating that he would take care of the bill, and the waiter slowly backed off.

Calmness returned to the table at Blue Jaz.

‘Bonjour’ he interrupted. ‘allow me mademoiselle – I am Vermin Le Blanche’ he said with an air of confidence. ‘Merci beaucoup’ she said gratefully glancing into his deep intense eyes.‘you have a very unusual name..and an exotic snake tattoo’ Ann-Marie said trying to break the ice.

‘yes I do, it also tells me the presence of your intellect, observation and attention to detail’ Vermin said charmingly. She had never seen such magnetic eyes, there was a deep compassion, sadness even, yet magnetic and enchanting, they seem to talk, even without any introduction.

A handsome athletic body made this stranger a very attractive man. Ann-Marie was getting a strange sensation in her lower abdomen. Her toes curled, she clenched her fingers, an intense desire ran through her body. His smell engulfed her senses. Fired up her body like a hot stone on a cold skin. His presence left a mark.


and then...instant combustion.

She was getting oblivious to his conversations and blurring looking at his moving lips...her senses were heightened,goosebumps on her forearm,an odor of lust had engulfed her mind,body and soul.

‘If you are thinking you ll take me to bed trying impress me with your Nietzsche & existential philosophies... then you are wrong.’ Ann Marie said interrupting his conversation.

He was calm. He was silent and then ….‘Your place or mine?’ he said confidently.The last eye witness testimony was of the waiter. He saw Ann-Marie walk out of Blu Jaz restaurant with him.



When the housekeeping boy knocked room # 23, of the Bluemoon hotel, he got no response. As customary, he waited and then proceeded to open the door to clean the room. As he opened the door, the room looked in pristine condition but for one aberration. His shoes splashed on some liquid. It seemed he had stepped on something spongy….

He looked down in horror, it was a severed arm of a Caucasian body outstretched towards the door, naked,eyes bleeding, and the body had turned blue. The flowing curtains suggested an open balcony door…


Vermin Le Blanche had had flown away.

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The Bikini , Strip Incident

Pattaya Beach

1.30PM


From 300 ft. above sea-level ,Pattaya beach looked even more beautiful for 25yr. old Gali.

Para-gliding for the young adventure-seeking Jewish girl, was a once in a lifetime experience, and she was enjoying it to the hilt.But her enjoyment was short-lived -she landed in the sea with her parachute belts getting entangled around her neck.

Before she could free herself,she was choking underneath the weight of the parachute underwater.As she struggled to break free – a hand came from behind her shoulders, grabbing her body and cutting the belt with a knife. She was losing consciousness, so the ability to respond to shock was minimized by the second. With one last effort the belts cut lose, and so did her senses…she’d fainted underwater…

A few minutes later she opened her eyes to see a magnetic pair of eyes stare at her. He had just breathed a new life into her.


She thought - 'If there was ever a time God existed – it was now.'


‘how are you feeling’ the man said with a strong Jewish accent.She coughed and spurted some more water…and said... ‘thank you for saving my life’

His eyes spoke more than his words. His body was strong and athletic, and she felt an uncontrollable attraction towards this stranger. ‘come let me help you get up’ he extended his hand to her. The people who had gathered to witness the incident now began to disperse. Gali got up on her feet, still feeling a bit light in the head.

‘tourist…first time?’ he asked.

‘yes’ she said spontaneously.. and then Gali remembered her friends advise…don’t talk to strangers.

And as she became a bit more confident of her senses she broke the ice.. …‘well how can I ever thank you’? ‘you can by telling me your name,and maybe having a lunch with me ?'

Before Gali could respond -he continued 'hello my name is Ahreel’ in a calm suave deep baritone.

‘oh am sorry …I am Gali..and are you from Israel as well ?’and shook hands with the stranger.

‘well lets just say I have a special connection there...’ Ahreel said plainly.


Gali’s defenses were down, but her womanly instinct was trying hard to contradict. It seemed to say something was amiss, something was odd about this man. But that instinct,got killed by the passionate voice from her pelvis.Not able to concentrate on what he was saying , Gali kept staring at his lips, and as her wandering eyes caressed his body, Ahreel caught her midway.

'your bikini is wet..maybe you would want to change it..? Lets go to a shack nearby,maybe we can rest a little bit as well’ he said suggestively.

‘yea – that sounds like a good idea’


Two hours later, an innocent by stander noticed a dog howling incessantly near a shack.As he went close to the shack – he saw a trail of blood on what looked like a bikini top..

Vijay Chowdhry alerted the authorities immediately. The nearby beach patrol police came rushing in a few minutes.

Inspector Worma was the first to peep inside the shack.

The shack looked as if no one had been there in a while,a peculiar damp smell emanated, nothing seemed to be missing or broken. As he went inside he got a peculiar pungent chemical smell, he looked around to find it s origin but failed. Just as he was about to exit, he noticed a blue lace on the wooden floor leading into a crack.

He followed the string, and tugged at it slowly. It seemed stuck.He pulled a bit harder and the plank on top came off to reveal a severed finger tied to a bikini strap.

Reflex shock hit Inspector Worma very hard – he hit his head on the pillar,a few drops of blood fell on the floor below.To his horror he saw another piece of cloth sticking out…It dawned on him...that the whole floor was scattered with tiny parts of the bikini...


Ahreel had flown away...

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A Gem, of an Incident.

Somewhere between Bangkok and Pattaya

1.30PM


As the bells rang on the door of ‘That Antique Shop’ a young smart looking man walked in with the breeze.

He was panting.

‘can I have some water please’ he asked trying to hold his breath.

Nikita immediately grew suspicious. She had heard some tourists were kleptomaniacs. They shop lifted small things, in spite having the money to probably buy the whole store.

‘Please I have just had an asthma attack- I need to take my medication’.Nikita looked into his deep magnetic eyes and bought the story.She went inside to get the jug of water.

‘Thanks you are a savior’ he said regaining his breath and composure.

‘mention not’ Nikita said managing a shy smile.

‘oh I am terribly sorry my dear,but my condition sometimes takes the better of me,I’m Thomas from London, just visiting your beautiful country.’ he said in a deep baritone English accent.

‘oh- nice to meet you – are you ok now?’

‘yes my love’

He looked around the store. Walked across to the gem section.

Nikita moved behind the counter simultaneously.

‘Would you like to see some rare gems?’

‘Oh but am seeing one already, my love’ he looked deep into Nikita’s vulnerable eyes.

Nikita blushed. ‘Let me show you this rare moonstone’

‘this is from the royal palace treasury, my great grandfather had got it as a gift from the king.’

‘marvelous I say’ said Thomas as he looked at the stone closely.

‘hmm – how much?’

‘specially for you – at 20% discount – 10k Baht only.

‘are you serious?’ –

‘Yes it is roughly USD $300’

‘Can you show me that emerald as well ? oh and that Jade looks gorgeous,

that one as well.’

Nikita’s nagging suspicion came back again. This time she decided to act.

‘Sir, if you want to buy, then I’ll show you more, but if not…’

Suddenly his expression changed. His eyes turned cold. He looked right into Nikita’s left eye.With a swift action he grabbed her right hand resting on the counter and started to pluck out the gems from the boxes with his left hand.

Nikita raised an alarm as she struggled to break free – but his grip was like a metal clamp…tightly bolted. As the chaos ensued inside ‘That Antique shop’ – some people began to gather outside, still unsure whether to go in or not. Just then Nikita screamed for help – it was the trigger people needed to charge in.

On entering the shop, they saw the tourist holding Nikita’s hand tightly,as she struggled to break free.They acted quickly and pinned him to the ground. Some people outside had smartly alerted the patrolling police vehicle.

Sub Inspector Phichai walked into the room, and took charge of the situation -

‘ok everyone back off – I ll take it from here’ he thundered.

Thomas had given up the fight by then, he was over powered.

Inspector Phichai handcuffed him and took him to the nearest police station on wireless road.

As he drove the patrolling vehicle, Thomas looked up at him and said…


‘well done’.


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Time - 4 hours into Monday.

Somewhere near the Thailand border.



‘have you got the papers’?

‘Yes’

‘the money’?

'yes – MYR 30k'

‘yea that should be enough to fly to Nepal from there.’

‘oh by the way,I think I accidentally gave an overdose to Inspector Phichai – please apologies to him and keep him happy’

‘oh is that so, well consider it done - I know what he wants.’

‘that’s like my boy’ he said.

‘just one last question – did you take care of that waiter?’

‘yes and no'

'what do you mean?'

'well he has agreed to forget what he saw, but he wants some more money’


‘hmm give him more money or.... kill him - take the easier option’ he smiled.


A chill ran down Vijay’s spine.He had worked with mystery man for almost a year now – but he could never fathom his brain.He had become his devoted follower after he saved his life from the drug-lords of Pattaya.


‘Good job Vijay – I am happy with your efforts - so here’s your share.' - he gave him some money.


And then the butterfly flew away...


Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh a.k.a Charles Sobhraj drove into Malaysia with yet another new identity....







Gyanban Thoughts -



This story is about a very intelligent dangerous mind.A man who has fooled the interpol,the local police,the victims and the followers for many years.I've just captured and constructed a fictional story based on a few years of his serial killing days in Thailand.The facts of the story are researched below -

The Man –

  • Charles Sobhraj, was born to an unwed Vietnamese mother and Indian father.
  • Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh is his real name.
  • Widely believed to be a psychopath—he has a manipulative personality and is incapable of remorse—
  • His motives for killing differed from those of most serial killers.
  • Sobhraj was not driven to murder by deep-rooted hatred or violent impulses, but as a means to sustain his lifestyle of adventure.
  • The Bikini Killer and Serpent were names given to him after those infamous murders.
  • A man of vast intelligence and immense will power had a very dark side to his personality.
  • Ironically – the victims held him in great respect , reverence even…while equally felt incredible hatred. Such was the dichotomy of his personality.
  • He Would help out people,gain their trust and then kill them.
The Characters in the Story –
  • The title of the story Papillion – pronounced -pah-pee-yawn - means butterfly in French.
  • Vermin - means the serpent.
  • Ahreel is actually Ariel in Jewish - which means - Lion of god.
  • Charles had mastered books on personality changes,human socio-cultural behavior patterns extensively.
  • Vijay Chowdhury’s character in real life is Ajay Chowdhury – who became his deputy.
  • Ann Marie - Marie-Andrée Leclerc was from Lévis, Quebec, French Canada.
  • Gali Hakim – was a young Jewish girl named Vitali Hakim.
  • The cops – not real names –
  • He was so successful was because he paid the cops heavily in cash or with a supply of high quality cocaine.


The Murders –
  • This story revolves around the classic misdirection theory.
  • It is generally accepted that 1st incident was at Pattaya beach, 2nd was Bluemoon hotel, 3 rd was Gemstone, and 4th was lockup.
  • the murder time 1.30PM was the best misdirection executed by Sobhraj,with the help of his aides.
  • He had led the police to believe that he could not be convicted, because he couldn’t have been at multiple places doing the same crime at the same time.
  • The time lapse between these incidents is still debated.
  • Police had not been able to connect incidents conclusively...
  • The distance between fact and fiction had been blurred by Sobhraj's brilliance.
  • It wasn't until much later that the police found out that they were being setup themselves.
  • Later in life,he would commit multiple murders in one country, and get caught in a ridiculous petty crime ,in another country,and be jailed.
  • He would remain in jail till the other case died down due lack of evidence and then get out of Jail at his own will.
  • There are only 12 official murders recorded under his name – but Interpol believe there may be many more.
  • Some of these murders remain unsolved until today.
  • Watch this video – Life and Crimes of Charles Shobraj.
  • Or read this biography –Charles -

54 comments:

  1. a murder mystery ! whoa !!! exciting :)

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  2. very interesting story.. a bit long, but didnt take the flow away i felt.. :)

    Escape

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  3. that was one cool piece of fiction based on facts :-) Do you remember the news item that a young woman, (I think, the daughter of the lawyer defending him or something like that) wanted to get married to Charles Shobhraj? Such flutter it caused in the media...

    Loved the way you narrated the stories... all the elements of a suspense thriller were neatly woven into the story :-) brilliant!

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  4. Whoa! made a wonderful read and pleasantly surprised with the footnotes. Will go through the video and biography of one of the world's notorious serial killer... :)

    - LR

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  5. Hmmm...good enough for a coffee table book!

    You are very good at crime and suspense stories, you are patient to write such a long story!

    Loved it!

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  6. WOW! that's the word. Well crafted and smooth. And what research! Hat's off to you for that interesting part of trivia you provided in the end.

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  7. fabulous writing...I was riveted to the story throughout though I had guessed that it was about sobhraj.

    The research was impeccable.

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  8. A good read it was, I enjoyed. Indeed, a very good job! Ofcourse, it brought me back to my Bangkok days, which I don't know why.

    Sureindran R. - Escape

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  9. @IIam Niu - welcome to Scrambled Egg.Thanks am glad you enjoyed reading it.

    @Leo - well I dont worry about length as long as it keeps flowing.I believe a story determines it's own length. Thanks for appreciating and welcome to Scrambled Egg !

    @Debosmita -yes I do - i think it was Nikita Biswas [ an oblique reference made in the Gem incident]- thanks am glad you took the time to read the stories.

    @Thanks LR - must see video - absolutely chilling stuff...and a source of my inspiration.!Thanks am glad you liked the story.

    @Amity -thank you and welcome to Scrambled Egg!!.Like I said before ,the length of a story is immaterial if there is a flow...I think I could have gone on for a few more pages.

    @Meghpeopn - Merci.Am glad you liked the effort behind research.

    @LazyP - kudos to you if you guessed it in between.Each has a clue which unfolds in the final incident.Thanks for taking the time to read the episodes.

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  10. Well really impressive work .. most of us know a part of the story but your narration is what that holds the interest ..

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  11. You know my aversion for long post but this one kept me glued till the end then the footnote made tale more interesting as it was based on facts...

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  12. Are you James Hadley Chase in disguise by any chance? Awesome narration, man. It was such a long one but worth the read. You managed the various languages and the different Thai destinations also well. And also nice explanation about Charles Sobhraj.Best of luck for the Blog-a-ton.

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  13. First time on your blog and I liked your style of writing and I'm eager to know about Hatchand's next landing .. make sure you continue from where you leave this time ;)

    ..escape !

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  14. Ah---mhaaa---zhi----nghhhhh ....... \m/

    HATS OFF TO YOU MAN ^:)^

    Check mine @ http://truckdriver89.blogspot.com/p/escape.html

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  15. A riveting read...

    As soon I saw the name 'Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh'... I knew who the protagonist was...

    He is a genius no doubt... an evil genius...

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  16. @aria - thanks for appreciating the work.

    @dmanji - thanks mate. Am glad you had the patience.!

    @theFool - well you re most kind with your compliment - I am but an ordinary regular blogger.Welcome to Scrambled Egg !!

    @Sourav Pandey - oh yes - there s a whole new story if i started to narrate his Tihar jail episodes. thanks and welcome to Scrambled egg.!!

    @Truck Driver - you have an interesting pen name.! Welcome to Scrambled Egg!!Thanks.

    @Roshmi Sinha - Thanks - yes such a riveting character itself.

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  17. i remember watching a documentary bout him when i was very young. it was such a feel-bad thing, the kind that leaves a bad taste for days. u know i love ur style of writing. but i wish u had picked another topic instead of this, bout an A-hole who is still living in (luxurious) prison, married to a young woman. he deserves d electric chair. sorry for d long comment but,as juvenile as it sounds, i hate it when villian appears to hv won.

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  18. What a mystery ? Beautifully narrated...


    All the best for BAT 10

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  19. Oh My !! I am speechless. this is fantabulous GB. No words to express how I am feeling right now.
    Best wishes.
    BTW I too joined the brigade. Now I am no good story teller but still this was tempting.

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  20. Dude the story is fit for a novel bro...:)

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  21. murder mystery!!! wow!!!1
    the narrated is captivating...
    got totally engrossed in the story....
    loved the plot :)

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  22. stupendous and marvelous piece...
    Though i know the name, it still made an interesting read.....
    simply superb post...
    liked your presentation ....

    yea, thats amazing objective intelligence keeping aside the judgments of bad and good

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  23. @ Gyanban

    Wow..Awesome..quite a lengthy..but worth reading it..left like wathcing soem suspence or thriller movie...!

    Well held all the notions and moments:)
    Good Going!

    Thankyou for visiting my post and leaving the comment
    :)

    ~Keep the Spark ALive..

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  24. wow! quite a story.. a murder mystery and superb narration...the flow was extremely good and kept me engrossed all thru...

    Btw I also write short stories... Hope u will like dem.. :)

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  25. That was quite a long potst!!

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  26. It was long? I didn't feel it at all! Every blogaton you read posts from every one, some are so good that they make u tear up. Some will be funny and make you laugh. Some are just plain out there, in some zone you can't understand. Then there are posts like these, the ones that make you sit up and go, YOU HAVE MY VOTE!

    I loved loved this post. And I think it played into my fascinations with crimes too.

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  27. @7ate9 - my fascination lay with the mind.with such vast intellect,knowledge and charisma one can still be a criminal...is it the power of the dark side or is it just plain sickness of the mind or is it something we dont necessarily understand.? I dont know. But it sure is intriguing.

    @geeta - thanks and welcome to scrambled egg!!

    @tikulicious - hey you re most generous with your compliment.thank you.

    @Sid - thanks bro - I can hardly write to call myself an author..but yes someday I'll get there.

    @Rajalakshmi - am glad you followed the plot and liked it.Thank you.

    @mahesh - I am impressed - not many know about Hatchand..just shows how keen you are as a reader. Well am glad you liked the presentation.

    @Rachna - am glad you liked it.Welcome to Scrambled Egg.

    @sushobhan - welcome to Scrambled Egg!! - am glad you liked the post.Yes I will certainly look forward to reading some of your work.!

    @swayambhu - yes that was the idea. Welcome to Scrambled egg !

    @Saro - Welcome to Scrambled egg, am glad you liked it.I see people becoming increasingly impatient with reading a post,I can understand there maybe too many to read - but that does not mean one should compromise on the length of your post. That way only 55er would be the order of the day.

    But reality is a story should determine it s length - not the author.If it deserves to be short - then so be it - if not - then am not going to be apologetic about it.

    Well, thank you for your comment and am glad you found my post worth a vote.

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  28. An interesting story..
    a bit long, but was intact till the end..

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  29. Man this was awesome....I loved the way you wrote it and how the hell did u get so many details...a charles shobraj fan huh!!
    All the best for BATOM

    Shahid

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  30. Ah!
    At last I read a beautifully executed post in my favorite genre, loved the post. It's well paced and tight and the tidbits in the end are worth relishing too. Charles Sobharaj, the only serial killer that India can boast of ;)

    Excellent post!
    Cheers mate!

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  31. Excellent story, just like all your stories are :)
    The footnotes add an extra charm to all your posts.
    Very well researched and fantastically narrated Gyan :D :D

    Keep up the wonderful work and best wishes for BAT :)

    Cheers!!

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  32. Wow! Great work! Can't believe the research you have put into this...made for an interesting read. Ever considered writing a novel???

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  33. Very well scripted Mr Gyan Ban. Ur thrillers are very gripping and keeps the readers glued till the end.Love to read scrambled eggs :-)have been reading so many blogs and stories but urs surely STAND OUT!!!!

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  34. Wow... that was a real killer story. :)

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  35. @karanshah - yes deliberately kept long - am glad you liked it.

    @shahid - good to know you appreciated the research.

    @pawan - IMHO dont think serial killer is something India should boast of - but I am glad you enjoyed the story.

    @chatterbox - well thank you for appreciating my work.

    @PsychBabbler - he he no never considered writing a novel - long way - am glad you liked the effort.

    @Sudeshna - your compliments are most generous.thank you.

    @Shilpa - Yes it was..that too a serial killer story.:-)

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  36. You are too good when it comes to crime, suspense and thrillers. I love this one a lot!

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  37. I liked the narration and flow of the story. It kept me hooked until the end and when it was over, I wanted to read more. I got to tell that you are some story-teller. :)
    In the whole, it made a nice read. :)

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  38. Really had me hooked till the end!!

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  39. Brilliant narration as always!!!personality description reminded me of Voldemort(from harry potter)I'm surprised why you haven't published any book of your writings so far?or am i wrong?

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  40. Just one word to describe this - WOW. One of the best thrilling tales I have read from a very long time. So this guy really existed huh? :O Really scary. If I get nightmares today, I will blame you GB :) I dint know this guy. "He tried to escape from prison in 2004, but failed. The Serpent has been caught—at least for the time being." - from the biography. So he is finally in Jail?
    I initially looked at the length of the story and got scared but once I started reading, it was so interesting that I dint realize that it ended. Want more such stories GB!!!

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  42. Gripping. A colleague starting speaking to me while I was reading and I cut him off so that I could finish the story. That's how gripping it was.

    Good stuff.

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  43. an interesting read, though it was quite long! but good work! all the best!

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  44. @nachiketa - thanks for appreciating it.

    @harini - you are most kind - thank you.

    @Nethra - thank you for appreciating the story.

    @archana - welcome to scrambled egg!! and thank for the appreciation.

    @Magic Quill - no haven't published any book,long way to go,hardly a writer - you are most generous with your compliment -thank you for appreciating the story.

    @avada - yes this guy really exists - in jail now,pending yet another trial nad subsequent bail plea - or who knows might escape somewhere else...scary stuff indeed..but fascinating as well isnt it? I am so glad you didnt get scared of the length...I believe while 55ers have their own charm - long posts have theirs...besides reading is about being patient isnt it? I for one, am a fan of long posts, it gives me the space to define characters, scenes and situations in great detail so that the reader can 'see' what i am thinking and There lies the foundation of a good story.thanks for appreciating it.

    @Masood - you have some amazing posts in your blog - so I quite enjoy reading some of your long posts.Am glad you enjoyed this one. Cheers.

    @Mehak - thank you - and yes it was long...thats how I like it :-). Welcome to scrambled egg!!

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  45. wow there!!fantastic narration n storyline as well...

    The pattaya beach murders were the most sensational of them all..and the man looked dapper n cool as a cucumber throughoutt..there is something fascinating about deviance, isn't there?and the man n this story both embody that...

    Kudos!

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  46. Wow that's a lot of research you put into writing this story.Very well-written indeed.
    But I wonder...is Charles Sobhraj a misogynist perhaps?

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  47. The post satisfied every label assigned to it. Brilliant story and good research which obviously resulted in a beautiful post! Good luck for BATOM!

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  48. @Pravin - thank you so much. i would agree with you..he Bikini Strip incident was quite spine chilling.He was known to have a magnetic personality, and would be at his charming best with strangers...who fell into his trap.

    @Samadrita - Thanks for finding time to read it in spite of your busy schedule.Dont think he was a misogynist - coz he did marry Chantal and claimed to be in love for a long time. he could have a multiple personality disorder for all you know.


    @Vibhushan - you are most generous with your compliment.Thank you for reading.

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  49. Brilliant post thr.. well researchd and captivating.. kudos for the foreign setting and d international touch. way 2 go :)

    bt yeah wud hav luvd if u cud hav delvd further into the misdirection theory and facts about it.. mayb a link to some write up.. though will search for it now :)

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  50. the misdirection theory is based on my research about the mindset, behavior patterns,
    types of serial killers and the modus operandi of a serial killer.
    here are some excerpts from the encyclopedia of serial killers - [ref.page 180,sec. 2]

    1.Nomadic killers
    2.territorial killers
    3. Stationery killers

    if you read the reference to context you will know - that Sobhraj fell under
    the category of nomadic killers,who move from one location to other committing
    disconnected crimes,which often mis lead the police in the wrong direction.


    Thanks for reading the story in detail...and am glad you liked it.
    Cheers
    GB

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  51. Whoa! That's one helluva story. Enjoyed reading it.

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  52. @Karthik - thanks a lot.Glad you liked it.

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  53. Great going, G. The stories were told very well.

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Sands of time

The scorching sun follows me Hot dunes burn my feet I know you are waiting for me As I leave the last oasis. A grain of sand tears my skin T...