"I told him what I knew, that the Russians said that they had an isotope that could act as a trigger for nuclear bombs.
Cleared of those murders, he was sentenced to 12 years for the attempted robbery of a group of French students.
Two years ago Ansari was shot, but not fatally injured, by a would-be assassin who was said to be visiting Sobhraj in the prison.
According to , during his 20-year incarceration in India, Sobhraj bribed guards, and in return, he received perks such as gourmet meals and a television.
The explanation he gave to the press at the time didn't ring true.
As part of his tactics to lure victims in, Charles Sobhraj created the alias of Alain Gautier for himself.
Besides displaying all the classic traits of a psychopath — ruthless, emotionless, lacking in empathy — Knippenberg says Sobhraj was thrilled by the risk that he would be caught.
It is believed that she did help Sobhraj drug at least one of his victims.