“Bikini Killer” Charles Sobhraj released after 20 years of imprisonment; Read 10 facts about the serial killer

The infamous serial killer, Charles Sobhraj was released by the Supreme Court of Kathmandu on December 23, 2022 after serving 20 years in prison. Hailing from France, the ill-famed murderer was held responsible for killing several young foreigners in the 1970s across Asia.

Putting an end to his criminal era, Charles was sentenced to a lifetime imprisonment in 2004 by the Nepalese authorities. Reportedly, the assassin will be deported to France in the next 15 days from Nepal. Earlier, Netflix/BCC captured Charles’s life in a series titled “The Serpent”.

Here is Let’s read 10 interesting facts about Charles Sobhraj life and his criminal journey here:


Charles Sobhraj was born in 1944 in Ho Chi Minh City (earlier Saigon). His father belonged to India and his mother was Vietnamese. He spent a major part of his childhood in France after his mother’s marriage with a French man.

Young Charles had a troubled childhood which eventually pushed him towards the world of crimes. His criminal journey began with petty crimes for which he was thrown in jail several times.

Soon, he moved from France and started his expedition from Europe to Southern Asia. Here, he mingled with the backpackers only to rob them afterwards.

His first killing was in Thailand. The victim was an American lady whose body was found lying on a beach in Pattaya. She was wearing a bikini.

Charles was reported to be involved in more than 20 murders across Thailand, Turkey, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Nepal, and Hong Kong.

He was charged under the suspicion of theft in India for which he spent two decade long imprisonment in Tihar jail. Later, in 1997, he was deported to France without any charge.

In 2003, Charles reached Nepal and started an export company on a fake identity. Soon, his truth was revealed and he was arrested for murdering two tourists in 1975.

He was given nicknames such as “Bikini Killer” and “The Serpent” for his expertise to impersonate any person to trick authorities for his own motives.

Talking about Charles, Australian journalist Julie Clark stated that he did not like backpackers. He considered them to be poor young drug addicts.

He pretended as a trader of precious stones to trick young tourists and then murder them. He used their stolen passports to move to his next target location.

FAQ:

Q1. How old is Charles Sobhraj?
Ans. Presently, Charles Sobhraj is 78-years-old man who is released from Nepal prison after completing 20 years of life sentence.

Q2. Who arrested Charles Sobhraj?
Ans. Charles Sobhraj was arrested by Zende, the senior inspector at Agripada police station of Mumbai, India.