After twenty years in prison, the highest court in Nepal has authorized the release of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, who is the subject of the Netflix series “The Serpent.” Sobhraj was arrested and accused of murder in several Asian countries in the 1970s.
The Supreme Court in the Himalayan republic granted medical release to 77-year-old Sobhraj, who had been imprisoned since 2003 for the murder of two North American tourists. The AFP verdict copy reads, “continued incarceration of the prisoner is incompatible with the prisoner's human rights.” In this article, we will read about Who Is the Bikini Killer, Charles Sobhraj? Keep reading to know more.
Who Is the Bikini Killer, Charles Sobhraj?
French serial killer, con artist & thief Charles Gurumukh Sobhraj Hotchand Bhawnani operated along the “hippie trail” in South Asia in the '70s, targeting Western visitors. He was called “the Bikini Killer” because several of his victims were wearing bikinis, “the Splitting Killer,” & “the Serpent” because of “his snake-like skill to avoid identification by police.”
Sobhraj's parents, an Indian man & a Vietnamese woman, had him born in Saigon. His father has always denied being his father & his mother never married him. Sobhraj's mother remarried a French Army lieutenant stationed in French Indochina & the couple took in the young orphan. There, he felt that he was being passed on in favor of the couple's later offspring. Over the years, Sobhraj & his family maintained a constant pattern of travel between Southeast Asia and France.
The Serial Killer
Sobhraj began preying on “hippie” travelers, or Westerners backpacking through Asia, as he made his way across the world. Often with the help of female accomplices, he would poison their beverages & kill them. Sobhraj has been charged with somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 homicides, the exact number being unknown.
Occasionally he would use the passports & identities of those he had murdered. Those in the media & law enforcement who engaged with Sobhraj said he was attractive & charismatic, traits that undoubtedly aided him in his criminal endeavors & the recruitment of collaborators as well as his ability to avoid punishment. He avoided capture in various nations by evading authorities or paying bribes.
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When Was Sobhraj Finally Jailed in India?
Sometimes, after killing his victims and seizing their passports, Sobhraj would use their identities. Reporters & law enforcement officers saw Sobhraj be smooth & charismatic in their interactions with him, qualities that benefited him in his criminal activities, recruitment of accomplices, and evasion of capture. He was arrested numerous times in a wide variety of countries but always managed to either flee or bribe his way out of jail.
In July of 1976, Sobhraj was apprehended, tried, and sentenced to 10 years in prison in New Delhi. On the other hand, he allegedly ran away after serving his time, fully expecting to be caught and prosecuted for new crimes. In Thailand, he was wanted for five killings and faced the possibility of the death penalty if extradited there.
Imprisonment in Nepal
Even simple photo sessions & interviews cost him a fortune. A biopic about him cost almost $15 million. In 2003, Sobhraj returned to Nepal to avoid capture by authorities. The Himalayan Times published a photo-filled piece after two weeks of trailing him. After reading the account, Nepalese police raided the casino and arrested Sobhraj, who was playing. Police reopened the 1975 double homicide probe. A Kathmandu district court sentenced Sobhraj to life for killing Bronzich & Carrière on August 20, 2004. Knippenberg, the Dutch diplomat, his ex-wife Angela Kane & Interpol acquired much of the copying evidence against him.
Sobhraj was said to have secretly married his fiancee in jail on Bada Dashami, October 9, 2008. The next day, Nepalese authorities denied his marriage claim. They started 100s of the detainees' relatives, including Biswas' family, who were allowed to hold tika ceremonies. They further claimed that the occasion was not a wedding but part of Dashain when elders bless their subordinates by painting their foreheads with vermilion. The Supreme Court of Nepal postponed its verdict in July 2010 after Sobhraj appealed his life sentence for the 1975 murder of American tourist Connie Jo Bronzich.
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On July 30, 2010, the Supreme Court confirmed the district court's life sentence for murdering Connie Jo Bronzich, adding a year & a Rs 2,000 punishment for unlawfully entering Nepal. The court ordered all of Sobhraj's property seized. After hearing the decision, Sobhraj's “wife,” Biswas & his lawyer mother-in-law, Shakuntala Thapa, declared the “judiciary is corrupt” & that her son-in-law was denied justice. Their statements led to contempt charges & judicial imprisonment. On September 18, the Bhaktapur district court convicted Sobhraj of murdering Canadian tourist Laurent Carrière in 1975.
His Release
As of the year 2018, Sobhraj was in extremely bad shape & was scheduled for multiple additional open heart surgery. The Supreme Court of Nepal released him from prison on 21 December 2022 due to his advanced age, having already served 19 of his 20-year term. Within 15 days, he must leave the country under an expulsion order.
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