Charles Sobhraj, a convicted murderer who police believe killed more than 20 Western backpackers on the “hippie trail” through Asia in the 1970s and 1980s, returned to France on Saturday after nearly two decades behind bars in Nepal.
Nepal’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the release of Sobhraj, known as the ‘Bikini Killer’ in Thailand, and ‘The Serpent’ for his escape from the police, citing ill health and advanced age.
The French national born to an Indian father and a Vietnamese mother, Sobhraj, 78, landed at Paris’ main international airport shortly after 7am and was escorted off the plane by police for identity checks.
“He’s fine, he’s a free man,” Sobhraj’s lawyer Isabelle Coutant-Peyre told Reuters. When asked what the next steps would be, she said, “He is going to file a lawsuit against Nepal because the whole lawsuit against him has been fabricated.”
Sobhraj had been held in a maximum security prison in Nepal since 2003, when he was held on charges of killing American backpacker Connie Jo Bronzich in 1975. He was later found guilty of killing Bronzich’s Canadian friend Laurent careers, and served 19 years in prison. He was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.
He is also a suspect in other killings, including in Thailand, where police say he killed six women in the 1970s, some of whom died on a beach near the Pattaya resort.
Sobhraj was arrested in India for poisoning a group of French tourists in the capital, New Delhi, in 1976 before he could be tried on the charges against him in Thailand.
He told French news agency AFP on the out-flight from Nepal that he was not guilty of killing Bronzich and Carriere.
“I have a lot to do. I have a lot of people to process,” Sobhraj told AFP.
In 2021, BBC and Netflix produced a drama series based on the story of the alleged murders of Sobhraj.
France’s interior and justice ministries did not respond to Reuters’ questions about whether Sobhraj could face criminal charges in France.
🇧🇷The best content in your email for free. Choose your favorite Terra newsletter. Click here!
Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
