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The Serpent
- Thread starter Saj
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Inspired by the true story of a fraudster and murderer who preyed on tourists travelling through Asia in the 1970s, The Serpent is the latest true crime drama being binged in lockdown.
Starring Tahar Rahim as killer Charles Sobhraj, and Jenna Coleman as his lover and accomplice Marie-Andree Leclerc, the eight-part drama is currently showing on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
"A hidden darkness on Asia's hippie trail - the twisting, real-life story of a murderer, thief and seductive master of disguise," is how the BBC bills it, and reviews have praised Rahim's performance as the "ice-cold" killer who became one of Interpol's most wanted men.
Here are the details behind the drama.
Who is Charles Sobhraj?
A French national who was born Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh Charles Sobhraj to an Indian father and Vietnamese mother in what was then known as Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Sobhraj led a life of petty crime as a teenager which escalated to much darker deeds.
Evading authorities using false passports across Thailand, India and Nepal, on what was known as the hippie trail travellers' route, he would pose as a drug dealer or gem salesmen to impress and get to know tourists, before robbing them.
He was accused of the murders of several Western tourists, playing cat and mouse with the authorities for years - his ability to give police the slip and escape jail earned him his Serpent nickname, although he also became known as the Bikini Killer as the bodies of several female victims were found in swimwear.
In The Serpent, he is seen poisoning his victims, burning the bodies of some, and leaving others to drown.
Sobhraj was eventually jailed in India in 1976. Ten years later, as his sentence was due to end, he escaped prison - knowing a Thai arrest warrant against him, which would almost certainly have led to the death penalty, was still valid. His escape and subsequent recapture meant his jail term in India was extended - and so he avoided execution in Thailand.
He was eventually released in 1997 and returned to France. Seemingly enjoying his notoriety, he gave media interviews about his life.
But in 2003, having travelled to Nepal once again, he was captured by police there and a murder inquiry was reopened. Some accounts suggest he was hoping to be caught once again, craving the attention. By 2004, he had been jailed again and now aged 76, he remains in prison.
What happened to Marie-Andree Leclerc?
Sobhraj had several followers, with his lover, Marie Andree Leclerc, the most prominent in The Serpent. Seemingly blinded by love and infatuation, she went along with his crimes.
Born in Quebec, Canada, she met Sobhraj while travelling in India.
As his accomplice, she was also jailed for her part in his crimes. However, in 1983 she was allowed to return to Canada as she was suffering from cancer. She died in 1984, aged 38.
Who is Herman Knippenberg?
In The Serpent, the story focuses on the investigations made by Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg, played by Billy Howle. Working at the Dutch embassy in Thailand, he started looking into Sobhraj's crimes after coming across the case of two Dutch travellers who had gone missing.
Eventually linking the disappearance to other deaths, he was able to build a case against Sobhraj with the help of one of the criminal's neighbours.
Ahead of the launch of the series, Howle told the Radio Times that he spoke to the real Mr Knippenberg while researching the role.
"It's a sort of moral outrage that drives this fastidious investigation that he takes upon himself," he said. "It's so unlikely, really, a person in this position doing the job that he was doing, for this to land on his desk, I think it is the moral outrage at the reality of this, the gravity of it, that drives him forward to want to stop it."
The victims
Sobhraj was convicted in Nepal over the deaths of Laurent Carriere, from Canada, and American Connie Bronzich, and in India of Frenchman Jean-Luc Solomon, however he is believed to have killed many more.
He has never been tried for crimes in Thailand. Other victims he is linked to include American Teresa Knowlton, Turk Vitali Hakim and his French girlfriend Charmayne Carrou, and Dutch students Henk Bintanja and Cornelia Hemker.
Some names have been changed in the drama out of respect for the victims and their families.
The series is dedicated "to all the young intrepids who set out with big dreams, but never made it home".
https://news.sky.com/story/the-serp...-hippie-trail-killer-charles-sobhraj-12185697
Starring Tahar Rahim as killer Charles Sobhraj, and Jenna Coleman as his lover and accomplice Marie-Andree Leclerc, the eight-part drama is currently showing on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
"A hidden darkness on Asia's hippie trail - the twisting, real-life story of a murderer, thief and seductive master of disguise," is how the BBC bills it, and reviews have praised Rahim's performance as the "ice-cold" killer who became one of Interpol's most wanted men.
Here are the details behind the drama.
Who is Charles Sobhraj?
A French national who was born Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh Charles Sobhraj to an Indian father and Vietnamese mother in what was then known as Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Sobhraj led a life of petty crime as a teenager which escalated to much darker deeds.
Evading authorities using false passports across Thailand, India and Nepal, on what was known as the hippie trail travellers' route, he would pose as a drug dealer or gem salesmen to impress and get to know tourists, before robbing them.
He was accused of the murders of several Western tourists, playing cat and mouse with the authorities for years - his ability to give police the slip and escape jail earned him his Serpent nickname, although he also became known as the Bikini Killer as the bodies of several female victims were found in swimwear.
In The Serpent, he is seen poisoning his victims, burning the bodies of some, and leaving others to drown.
Sobhraj was eventually jailed in India in 1976. Ten years later, as his sentence was due to end, he escaped prison - knowing a Thai arrest warrant against him, which would almost certainly have led to the death penalty, was still valid. His escape and subsequent recapture meant his jail term in India was extended - and so he avoided execution in Thailand.
He was eventually released in 1997 and returned to France. Seemingly enjoying his notoriety, he gave media interviews about his life.
But in 2003, having travelled to Nepal once again, he was captured by police there and a murder inquiry was reopened. Some accounts suggest he was hoping to be caught once again, craving the attention. By 2004, he had been jailed again and now aged 76, he remains in prison.
What happened to Marie-Andree Leclerc?
Sobhraj had several followers, with his lover, Marie Andree Leclerc, the most prominent in The Serpent. Seemingly blinded by love and infatuation, she went along with his crimes.
Born in Quebec, Canada, she met Sobhraj while travelling in India.
As his accomplice, she was also jailed for her part in his crimes. However, in 1983 she was allowed to return to Canada as she was suffering from cancer. She died in 1984, aged 38.
Who is Herman Knippenberg?
In The Serpent, the story focuses on the investigations made by Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg, played by Billy Howle. Working at the Dutch embassy in Thailand, he started looking into Sobhraj's crimes after coming across the case of two Dutch travellers who had gone missing.
Eventually linking the disappearance to other deaths, he was able to build a case against Sobhraj with the help of one of the criminal's neighbours.
Ahead of the launch of the series, Howle told the Radio Times that he spoke to the real Mr Knippenberg while researching the role.
"It's a sort of moral outrage that drives this fastidious investigation that he takes upon himself," he said. "It's so unlikely, really, a person in this position doing the job that he was doing, for this to land on his desk, I think it is the moral outrage at the reality of this, the gravity of it, that drives him forward to want to stop it."
The victims
Sobhraj was convicted in Nepal over the deaths of Laurent Carriere, from Canada, and American Connie Bronzich, and in India of Frenchman Jean-Luc Solomon, however he is believed to have killed many more.
He has never been tried for crimes in Thailand. Other victims he is linked to include American Teresa Knowlton, Turk Vitali Hakim and his French girlfriend Charmayne Carrou, and Dutch students Henk Bintanja and Cornelia Hemker.
Some names have been changed in the drama out of respect for the victims and their families.
The series is dedicated "to all the young intrepids who set out with big dreams, but never made it home".
https://news.sky.com/story/the-serp...-hippie-trail-killer-charles-sobhraj-12185697
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Cpt. Rishwat
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I watched it last month, really enjoyed it. Sobhraj comes across as quite a chilling character, but the show itself was always interesting because it harked back to a different time when it was possible to drive all the way from Europe to Asia without too much red tape. I don't watch much BBC stuff but they did a great job with this mini series.
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Cannot imagine such evil people exist!
Cpt. Rishwat
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Did you watch it MIG? He really wasn't that evil in my opinion, not by today's standards. He seemed to treat the murders as a bit of a chore, I guess the real evil ones are the ones who enjoy it.
He targeted those who he felt were easy pickings - travellers, hippies, who had gone on their travels, weren't really in touch with their families.
Interesting that he went to Karachi at one point also.
Bigboii
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It's a white guy playing a brown man...
His natural skin color is different than in the movie meaning he possibly did brown face or a "tan"
His natural skin color is different than in the movie meaning he possibly did brown face or a "tan"
Cpt. Rishwat
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It's a white guy playing a brown man...
His natural skin color is different than in the movie meaning he possibly did brown face or a "tan"
It's a Moroccan I think Tahar Rahim, and Sobhraj was mixed heritage, Nepalese/Sindhi so not really brown in the terms you are thinking anyway.
in_cutter
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It's a white guy playing a brown man...
His natural skin color is different than in the movie meaning he possibly did brown face or a "tan"
It’s French Algerian actor Tahar Rahim. Also starred in A Prophet.
Bigboii
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Zaz
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A pretty gripping n chilling series Showed the ineptness of foreign police forces at that time and how easy it was to move around from one country to another be it by air or road
If it werent for the doggedness of the dutch diplomat would he ever have seen justice?
If it werent for the doggedness of the dutch diplomat would he ever have seen justice?
SpiritOf1903
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Serpent was Punjabi Vietnamese
Mamoon
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I didn’t know anything about this man but this thread prompted me to do some research on him. From the little that I read, this man seems like the devil’s spawn.
Most serial-killers are smart but he seems like a genius. He could have done wonders in his life and career if he didn’t have a troubled, abusive childhood.
Considering how smart, manipulative, and socially aware he was, it is surprising that you do not consider him extremely evil even by today’s standards.
It seems like he was in full control of what he was doing and why he was doing it in the first place.
Also, I am not sure why is enjoying celebrity status and why he was getting cheered after leaving prison.
DeadBall
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I had some desi version book about the guiness book of world records at the time and the guy apperaed as one of the major serial killers right after the page of Aristotle being allerfic to water and thus only drinking and bathing in alcohol. Was a fascinating read nonetheless.
Cpt. Rishwat
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I guess I also was manipulated by his suave charm and mild inflection when speaking. You really have to watch the show to understand. Plus he never really got his hands dirty himself, he always left the ugly work to his accomplice Ajay.
I think this is why he received celebrity status, he was like the Asian Pink Panther.
Bigboii
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Richard Riemirez raped and killed his victims regardless of thier age
80 to 20s
By killing I mean brutally killing (some real nasty things)
Ended his crimes by drawing satanic symbols
Also kidnapped and sexually molested lil girls in LA
When he came to court there were hoards of girls waiting for him
He would regularly recieve nudes from girls in his letters
Apparently he was tall and "handsome" (when he wasn't opening his mouth
)Very true that diplomat never gave up. And as you say, some of the police forces were both inept and corrupt.
Border controls back then were very relaxed. I mean these guys were travelling from Europe through Asia on a regular basis.
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This year’s Baftas are being called the most diverse ever, with two-thirds of the nominees for acting awards coming from minority backgrounds.
Among those is French actor Tahar Rahim, who is up for best leading actor for his role in The Mauritanian.
Rahim will be familiar to many for his leading part in TV drama The Serpent.
Among those is French actor Tahar Rahim, who is up for best leading actor for his role in The Mauritanian.
Rahim will be familiar to many for his leading part in TV drama The Serpent.
Why 'Bikini Killer' Charles Sobhraj Is Being Freed After 19 Years
The apex court of Nepal has ordered the release of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj from jail owing to his health condition and age.
The French citizen with Vietnamese and Indian parentage committed a string of murders throughout Asia in the 1970s. Sobhraj, who has been implicated in more than 20 killings, served 21 years in prison in India for poisoning a French tourist and killing an Israeli national.
Sobhraj had travelled to Nepal with a fake identity from Hong Kong when he was arrested in the Nepali capital Kathmandu by Police. Sobhraj, now 78, has been in Nepali jail since 2003 after he was arrested from a casino in Kathmandu nearly three decades ago.
He has been in Nepali jail on the charge of murdering two American tourists.
On Wednesday, a bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Til Prasad Shrestha ordered the government to release Sobhraj from jail stating he was in need of open heart surgery.
The French serial killer had filed a petition demanding exemption on his lifetime term on the ground of old age.
Sobhraj had earlier filed an application claiming that he was put in prison for more than the period recommended for him on the murder charge. The division bench passed the verdict, concluding that his claim was genuine.
Sobhraj, who has been serving a 19-year jail term on the charge of murders at the central jail, had filed habeas corpus petitions through his lawyer. He claimed that he had completed his jail term as per the 'concessions' entitled to senior citizens of Nepal.
District Court, Bhaktapur, had slapped him with a life sentence for the murder of American citizen Connie Jo Bronzich and Canadian citizen Laurent Carriere in December 1975.
According to the court's verdict, Sobhraj will have to stay in jail till September 18, 2023, to serve 20 years' imprisonment as per the term of a life sentence.
Last December, Sobhraj had filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court demanding that the government 'provide relief to senior citizens'.
He claimed in the writ petition that he had already served 17 of the 20 years of his sentence and had already been recommended for release for behaving well.
In a response sought by the court whether Shobraj should be given an exemption following his writ petition, the Nepal government had said that Sobhraj's crime had not been exempted and that he would not be exempted as he was a foreign national.
"There is no provision in the law for the offender to be exempted due to age, disease, or other reasons. Although imprisonment can be reduced, it cannot be reduced in cases of murder, smuggling, rape, escape, etc," read the written reply of the government.
Along with the verdict to release him on grounds of health and age, the court also has ordered his deportation but hasn't mentioned where he would be deported.
NDTV
The apex court of Nepal has ordered the release of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj from jail owing to his health condition and age.
The French citizen with Vietnamese and Indian parentage committed a string of murders throughout Asia in the 1970s. Sobhraj, who has been implicated in more than 20 killings, served 21 years in prison in India for poisoning a French tourist and killing an Israeli national.
Sobhraj had travelled to Nepal with a fake identity from Hong Kong when he was arrested in the Nepali capital Kathmandu by Police. Sobhraj, now 78, has been in Nepali jail since 2003 after he was arrested from a casino in Kathmandu nearly three decades ago.
He has been in Nepali jail on the charge of murdering two American tourists.
On Wednesday, a bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Til Prasad Shrestha ordered the government to release Sobhraj from jail stating he was in need of open heart surgery.
The French serial killer had filed a petition demanding exemption on his lifetime term on the ground of old age.
Sobhraj had earlier filed an application claiming that he was put in prison for more than the period recommended for him on the murder charge. The division bench passed the verdict, concluding that his claim was genuine.
Sobhraj, who has been serving a 19-year jail term on the charge of murders at the central jail, had filed habeas corpus petitions through his lawyer. He claimed that he had completed his jail term as per the 'concessions' entitled to senior citizens of Nepal.
District Court, Bhaktapur, had slapped him with a life sentence for the murder of American citizen Connie Jo Bronzich and Canadian citizen Laurent Carriere in December 1975.
According to the court's verdict, Sobhraj will have to stay in jail till September 18, 2023, to serve 20 years' imprisonment as per the term of a life sentence.
Last December, Sobhraj had filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court demanding that the government 'provide relief to senior citizens'.
He claimed in the writ petition that he had already served 17 of the 20 years of his sentence and had already been recommended for release for behaving well.
In a response sought by the court whether Shobraj should be given an exemption following his writ petition, the Nepal government had said that Sobhraj's crime had not been exempted and that he would not be exempted as he was a foreign national.
"There is no provision in the law for the offender to be exempted due to age, disease, or other reasons. Although imprisonment can be reduced, it cannot be reduced in cases of murder, smuggling, rape, escape, etc," read the written reply of the government.
Along with the verdict to release him on grounds of health and age, the court also has ordered his deportation but hasn't mentioned where he would be deported.
NDTV
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A French serial killer portrayed in BBC drama The Serpent is to be freed from a Nepalese prison, after a court ruling.
Charles Sobhraj, who spent 19 years in jail for the murder of two tourists in Kathmandu in 1975, has been ordered to return to France within 15 days.
Sobhraj was linked to a string of other tourist murders in the 1970s, and spent 20 years in prison in India.
His victims were mostly young Western backpackers on the hippie trail in India and Thailand.
The notorious killer had been serving two life sentences, each 20 years, in Nepal's capital for the murder of an American woman, Connie Jo Bronzich, and her Canadian backpacker friend, Laurent Carriere.
He was convicted in two separate trials - most recently in 2014, when he was sentenced to 20 years in a high security prison for murdering Carriere.
But Nepal's Supreme Court ordered Sobhraj's release on Wednesday after his legal team successfully filed a petition claiming he should be given a concession on his prison term due to his age and good behaviour.
A provision in Nepalese law allows inmates who have shown good character and completed 75% of their jail term to be released.
"Keeping him in the prison continuously is not in line with the prisoner's human rights," the verdict read, according to AFP, and cites regular treatment for heart disease as another factor in his release. His lawyer says he could be released as soon as Thursday.
Sobhraj has been linked to more than 20 killings between 1972 and 1982, in which the victims were drugged, strangled, beaten or burned.
He was dubbed "The Serpent" or the "Bikini Killer" for his knack for deceptive disguises, ability to escape prison and tendency to target young women. It later became the title for a hit BBC and Netflix series about the killer, which was released in 2020.
Prior to his two convictions in Kathmandu, Sobhraj had already spent two decades in jail in India for poisoning a busload of French tourists.
During that time he briefly managed to escape from prison by drugging the prison guards. He later claimed the escape was a ploy to get his sentence extended and avoid extradition to Thailand where he was wanted for five more murders.
Following his release from India, Sobhraj was arrested for Bronzich's murder after being spotted in a casino in Kathmandu in 2003.
BBC
Charles Sobhraj, who spent 19 years in jail for the murder of two tourists in Kathmandu in 1975, has been ordered to return to France within 15 days.
Sobhraj was linked to a string of other tourist murders in the 1970s, and spent 20 years in prison in India.
His victims were mostly young Western backpackers on the hippie trail in India and Thailand.
The notorious killer had been serving two life sentences, each 20 years, in Nepal's capital for the murder of an American woman, Connie Jo Bronzich, and her Canadian backpacker friend, Laurent Carriere.
He was convicted in two separate trials - most recently in 2014, when he was sentenced to 20 years in a high security prison for murdering Carriere.
But Nepal's Supreme Court ordered Sobhraj's release on Wednesday after his legal team successfully filed a petition claiming he should be given a concession on his prison term due to his age and good behaviour.
A provision in Nepalese law allows inmates who have shown good character and completed 75% of their jail term to be released.
"Keeping him in the prison continuously is not in line with the prisoner's human rights," the verdict read, according to AFP, and cites regular treatment for heart disease as another factor in his release. His lawyer says he could be released as soon as Thursday.
Sobhraj has been linked to more than 20 killings between 1972 and 1982, in which the victims were drugged, strangled, beaten or burned.
He was dubbed "The Serpent" or the "Bikini Killer" for his knack for deceptive disguises, ability to escape prison and tendency to target young women. It later became the title for a hit BBC and Netflix series about the killer, which was released in 2020.
Prior to his two convictions in Kathmandu, Sobhraj had already spent two decades in jail in India for poisoning a busload of French tourists.
During that time he briefly managed to escape from prison by drugging the prison guards. He later claimed the escape was a ploy to get his sentence extended and avoid extradition to Thailand where he was wanted for five more murders.
Following his release from India, Sobhraj was arrested for Bronzich's murder after being spotted in a casino in Kathmandu in 2003.
BBC
Serial Killer Charles Sobhraj's Release From Nepal Jail Delayed By A Day
Charles Sobhraj, a Frenchman of Indian and Vietnamese parentage, will spend one more day in Nepal's prison as the immigration authorities on Thursday expressed their inability to arrange accommodation for the notorious serial killer who is expected to be deported after his release on the orders of the apex court.
A joint bench of justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Tilak Prasad Shrestha on Wednesday ordered to free 78-year-old Charles Sobhraj from jail.
"Though everything has been cleared for his release from jail, he has to be handed over to the Immigration Department. The immigration authorities have requested to postpone his release till Friday as they need preparation for his accommodation," said his lawyer Gopal Shivakoti Chintan.
Nicknamed "the Bikini Killer" and "the Serpent" due to his skill at deception and evasion, Charles Sobharaj was serving a life-term in the Kathmandu jail since 2003 for the murder of American woman Connie Jo Bronzich in 1975 in Nepal.
In 2014, he was convicted of killing Laurent Carriere, a Canadian backpacker, and given a second life sentence.
A life-term in Nepal means 20 years in jail.
The order by the division bench of Nepal's top court came after Charles Shobraj filed a plea claiming that he was put in prison more than the period recommended for him.
There is a legal provision to release prisoners who have completed 75 per cent jail term and showed good character during imprisonment.
Charles Sobhraj through his petition had claimed that he had completed his jail term as per the 'concessions' entitled to senior citizens of Nepal.
He claimed that he had already served 17 of the 20 years of his sentence and had already been recommended for release for good behavior.
Charles Sobhraj was spotted in a Kathmandu casino in August 2003 and arrested. He was slapped with a life sentence for the murder after a trial.
He had been linked to multiple killings of backpackers.
NDTV
Charles Sobhraj, a Frenchman of Indian and Vietnamese parentage, will spend one more day in Nepal's prison as the immigration authorities on Thursday expressed their inability to arrange accommodation for the notorious serial killer who is expected to be deported after his release on the orders of the apex court.
A joint bench of justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Tilak Prasad Shrestha on Wednesday ordered to free 78-year-old Charles Sobhraj from jail.
"Though everything has been cleared for his release from jail, he has to be handed over to the Immigration Department. The immigration authorities have requested to postpone his release till Friday as they need preparation for his accommodation," said his lawyer Gopal Shivakoti Chintan.
Nicknamed "the Bikini Killer" and "the Serpent" due to his skill at deception and evasion, Charles Sobharaj was serving a life-term in the Kathmandu jail since 2003 for the murder of American woman Connie Jo Bronzich in 1975 in Nepal.
In 2014, he was convicted of killing Laurent Carriere, a Canadian backpacker, and given a second life sentence.
A life-term in Nepal means 20 years in jail.
The order by the division bench of Nepal's top court came after Charles Shobraj filed a plea claiming that he was put in prison more than the period recommended for him.
There is a legal provision to release prisoners who have completed 75 per cent jail term and showed good character during imprisonment.
Charles Sobhraj through his petition had claimed that he had completed his jail term as per the 'concessions' entitled to senior citizens of Nepal.
He claimed that he had already served 17 of the 20 years of his sentence and had already been recommended for release for good behavior.
Charles Sobhraj was spotted in a Kathmandu casino in August 2003 and arrested. He was slapped with a life sentence for the murder after a trial.
He had been linked to multiple killings of backpackers.
NDTV
"Have To Sue A Lot Of People": 'Bikini Killer' Charles Sobhraj Out Of Jail
French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, responsible for multiple murders in the 1970s across Asia, said he felt "great" after being released from prison in Nepal where he served almost 20 years.
"I feel great... I have a lot to do. I have to sue a lot of people. Including the state of Nepal," Sobhraj told AFP on board a plane for his deportation to France.
Asked if he thought he had been wrongly described as a serial killer, the 78-year-old said: "Yes, yes."
Nepal's top court ruled on Wednesday that he should be freed on health grounds and deported to France within 15 days.
On Friday, he was released and put on a flight at Kathmandu airport to take him via Doha to Paris, where he was due to land early on Saturday.
'Bikini killer'
Sobhraj's life was chronicled in the series "The Serpent" co-produced by Netflix and the BBC.
Born in Saigon to an Indian father and a Vietnamese mother who later married a Frenchman, Sobhraj embarked on an international life of crime and ended up in Thailand in 1975.
Posing as a gem trader, he would befriend his victims, many of them Western backpackers on the 1970s hippie trail, before drugging, robbing and murdering them.
Suave and sophisticated, he was implicated in the murder of a young American woman whose body was found on a beach wearing a bikini in 1975.
Nicknamed the "bikini killer", he was eventually linked to more than 20 murders.
He was arrested in India in 1976 and ultimately spent 21 years in jail there, with a brief break in 1986 when he drugged prison guards and escaped. He was recaptured in the Indian coastal state of Goa.
Released in 1997, Sobhraj lived in Paris, giving paid interviews to journalists, but went back to Nepal in 2003.
The 'Karma' question
He was spotted in a casino playing baccarat by journalist Joseph Nathan, one of the founders of the Himalayan Times newspaper, and arrested.
"He looked harmless... It was sheer luck that I recognised him," Nathan told AFP on Thursday. "I think it was karma."
A court in Nepal handed Sobhraj a life sentence the following year for killing US tourist Connie Jo Bronzich in 1975. A decade later, he was also found guilty of killing Bronzich's Canadian companion.
Behind bars, Sobhraj maintained he was innocent of both murders and claimed he had never been to Nepal before the trip that resulted in his arrest.
"I really didn't do it, and I think I will be out," he told AFP in 2007 during an interview at Kathmandu's Central Jail.
Thai police officer Sompol Suthimai, whose work with Interpol was instrumental in securing the 1976 arrest, had pushed for him to be extradited to Thailand and tried for murders there.
But on Thursday, he told AFP that he did not object to the release, as both he and the criminal he once pursued were now too old.
"I don't have any feelings towards him now that it's been so long," said Suthimai, 90. "I think he has already paid for his actions."
NDTV
French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, responsible for multiple murders in the 1970s across Asia, said he felt "great" after being released from prison in Nepal where he served almost 20 years.
"I feel great... I have a lot to do. I have to sue a lot of people. Including the state of Nepal," Sobhraj told AFP on board a plane for his deportation to France.
Asked if he thought he had been wrongly described as a serial killer, the 78-year-old said: "Yes, yes."
Nepal's top court ruled on Wednesday that he should be freed on health grounds and deported to France within 15 days.
On Friday, he was released and put on a flight at Kathmandu airport to take him via Doha to Paris, where he was due to land early on Saturday.
'Bikini killer'
Sobhraj's life was chronicled in the series "The Serpent" co-produced by Netflix and the BBC.
Born in Saigon to an Indian father and a Vietnamese mother who later married a Frenchman, Sobhraj embarked on an international life of crime and ended up in Thailand in 1975.
Posing as a gem trader, he would befriend his victims, many of them Western backpackers on the 1970s hippie trail, before drugging, robbing and murdering them.
Suave and sophisticated, he was implicated in the murder of a young American woman whose body was found on a beach wearing a bikini in 1975.
Nicknamed the "bikini killer", he was eventually linked to more than 20 murders.
He was arrested in India in 1976 and ultimately spent 21 years in jail there, with a brief break in 1986 when he drugged prison guards and escaped. He was recaptured in the Indian coastal state of Goa.
Released in 1997, Sobhraj lived in Paris, giving paid interviews to journalists, but went back to Nepal in 2003.
The 'Karma' question
He was spotted in a casino playing baccarat by journalist Joseph Nathan, one of the founders of the Himalayan Times newspaper, and arrested.
"He looked harmless... It was sheer luck that I recognised him," Nathan told AFP on Thursday. "I think it was karma."
A court in Nepal handed Sobhraj a life sentence the following year for killing US tourist Connie Jo Bronzich in 1975. A decade later, he was also found guilty of killing Bronzich's Canadian companion.
Behind bars, Sobhraj maintained he was innocent of both murders and claimed he had never been to Nepal before the trip that resulted in his arrest.
"I really didn't do it, and I think I will be out," he told AFP in 2007 during an interview at Kathmandu's Central Jail.
Thai police officer Sompol Suthimai, whose work with Interpol was instrumental in securing the 1976 arrest, had pushed for him to be extradited to Thailand and tried for murders there.
But on Thursday, he told AFP that he did not object to the release, as both he and the criminal he once pursued were now too old.
"I don't have any feelings towards him now that it's been so long," said Suthimai, 90. "I think he has already paid for his actions."
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Serial Killer Charles Sobhraj's Wife Nihita Biswas On His Plans After Release
Nihita Biswas, wife of serial killer Charles Sobhraj, said on his release from jail that it has been long awaited and that they are elated. "The main thing is that I want him to get back safely. We have been waiting for him for all these years. We are going to receive him nicely, he is going to get a proper health check-up," said Nihita Biswas.
"We're trying to send him back to his family in France by evening for security reasons. After heart surgery, he had some issues. He might need another surgery," she added.
Health and family are priorities for him now, she said.
French serial killer Charles Sobhraj was released on Friday from the Central Jail in Nepal.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of the Himalayan nation ordered the release of Sobhraj on the grounds of old age and deteriorating health conditions.
Since 2003, he has been serving his sentence in Nepali jail on the charge of murdering two American tourists. The court concluded that the 78-year-old will be set free as he had already completed 95 per cent of his jail term.
In the verdict delivered on Wednesday evening, Supreme Court said, "The regulation on prison management envisions a waiver of up to 75 per cent of the jail term of the prisoners over 65 years of age and with good conduct."
Sobhraj's lawyers had long been demanding the court's intervention for clemency. In different petitions, they had demanded a waiver of his jail sentence, citing provisions of Clause 12 (1) of the Senior Citizens Act 2063. The court has now ordered the government to make arrangements for repatriating Sobhraj to his home country within 15 days.
"Kept in prison here at Central Jail for a long time, the French national Charles Sobhraj has been ordered to be released by the Supreme Court on 21st December. We checked the records of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur District Court and have requested clearance from them over the cases registered against him. We are now preparing to release him from prison and then we will hand him over to the Department of Immigration. We will take him to the department after they finish their preparations," Ishwori Prasad Pandey, the Jailer at Central Jail in Kathmandu told reporters before Sobhraj underwent medical checkups.
The notorious criminal has also appealed to Nepal authorities to let him stay in a hotel and undergo open heart surgery at the Gangalal Heart Hospital in Kathmandu. But the authorities are yet to decide on it.
NDTV
Nihita Biswas, wife of serial killer Charles Sobhraj, said on his release from jail that it has been long awaited and that they are elated. "The main thing is that I want him to get back safely. We have been waiting for him for all these years. We are going to receive him nicely, he is going to get a proper health check-up," said Nihita Biswas.
"We're trying to send him back to his family in France by evening for security reasons. After heart surgery, he had some issues. He might need another surgery," she added.
Health and family are priorities for him now, she said.
French serial killer Charles Sobhraj was released on Friday from the Central Jail in Nepal.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of the Himalayan nation ordered the release of Sobhraj on the grounds of old age and deteriorating health conditions.
Since 2003, he has been serving his sentence in Nepali jail on the charge of murdering two American tourists. The court concluded that the 78-year-old will be set free as he had already completed 95 per cent of his jail term.
In the verdict delivered on Wednesday evening, Supreme Court said, "The regulation on prison management envisions a waiver of up to 75 per cent of the jail term of the prisoners over 65 years of age and with good conduct."
Sobhraj's lawyers had long been demanding the court's intervention for clemency. In different petitions, they had demanded a waiver of his jail sentence, citing provisions of Clause 12 (1) of the Senior Citizens Act 2063. The court has now ordered the government to make arrangements for repatriating Sobhraj to his home country within 15 days.
"Kept in prison here at Central Jail for a long time, the French national Charles Sobhraj has been ordered to be released by the Supreme Court on 21st December. We checked the records of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur District Court and have requested clearance from them over the cases registered against him. We are now preparing to release him from prison and then we will hand him over to the Department of Immigration. We will take him to the department after they finish their preparations," Ishwori Prasad Pandey, the Jailer at Central Jail in Kathmandu told reporters before Sobhraj underwent medical checkups.
The notorious criminal has also appealed to Nepal authorities to let him stay in a hotel and undergo open heart surgery at the Gangalal Heart Hospital in Kathmandu. But the authorities are yet to decide on it.
NDTV
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