Charles Sobraj: Nepal Supreme Court orders release of ‘The Serpent’, notorious French serial killer

CNN
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Nepal’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered her release Charles Sobhrajthe infamous French serial killer who inspired the award-nominated TV series “Serpent.”

The court issued the decree on the basis of his age and validity, according to court spokesperson Bimal Paudel.

Sobhraj, 78, was serving a life sentence in a jail in the Kathmandu suburb of Bhaktapur for killing two tourists in 1975, but several of his alleged murders remain unsolved.

The spokesman added that two judges in the Supreme Court ordered the government to release him immediately and deport him to “his country” within 15 days.

The court said Sobhraj was suffering from a heart condition and needed open-heart surgery.

Born in French-administered Saigon, Vietnam, Sobhraj was first imprisoned in Paris in 1963 for burglary but charged with crimes in a list of countries: France, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Thailand and Malaysia.

He also escaped from prison in several countries, and his tendency to evade authorities earned him the nickname “The Snake”.

Eventually, Sobhraj confessed to at least 12 killings between 1972 and 1976, and hinted to his interviewees before recanting their confessions before more court cases, according to his autobiography. The true number of his victims is unknown.

In 2014, a Nepali court convicted Sobraj of the 1975 murder of Canadian tourist Laurent Carrier, and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

The 2021 BBC/Netflix drama ‘Snake’ is based on the story of Sobhraj’s alleged murders. He tells how for years, he dodged the law across Asia as he allegedly drugged, robbed and murdered backpackers along the so-called “hippie trail” – while former Dutch diplomat Hermann Knippenberg worked with the authorities to catch him.