This Article is From Aug 04, 2010

Sobhraj's wife, mother-in-law in police custody

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Kathmandu: In a curious twist to the case of Charles Sobhraj, the wife and mother-in-law of the wily Indian origin 'bikini killer' were taken into police custody on Wednesday.

following their outburst against the Supreme Court's verdict upholding the life term awarded to him in a 1975 murder case.
     
22-year-old Nihita Biswas and her mother Shakuntala Thapa, who is also Sobhraj's lawyer, appeared before a joint apex court bench of justices Balram KC and Ram Kumar Prasad Sah after they were summoned over contempt of court.
    
The judges ordered that Thapa and Nihita be kept in police custody for interrogation, which could not be completed on Wednesday. It was not known for how long the mother-daughter duo will remain in custody.
    
Police detained Thapa and her daughter from the court premises following the order and took them to Metropolitan Police Sector, Singha Durbar.
    
The court has ordered that they be produced before it again on Thursday, 'Nepal News' reported.
    
The Supreme Court had on Sunday summoned them to furnish clarification on their remarks against the verdict upholding the conviction and life sentence awarded by lower courts to 66-year-old Sobhraj in a sensational murder case of an American woman tourist in Kathmandu 35 years ago.
    
After the apex court verdict on Friday last, Nihita and Thapa had accused judges of taking bribe and issuing a "bias" ruling.
    
Advocates Rajan Adhikari and Shanta Sedhai had filed a contempt of court case against Thapa and her daughter demanding the duo be jailed for one year and fined Rs 10,000.
 
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