Known for the Netflix series “The Snake”.
Bikini killer Charles Sobraj released from prison
The Netflix series made Charles Chopra famous. The Frenchman is considered a notorious serial killer. He has been in jail since 2003 for killing two tourists. Now he is free again.
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He’s a free man again: French serial killer Charles Soubraj.
French serial killer Charles Soubraj, portrayed in the Netflix series The Snake, has been released from prison after two decades. Nepal’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the release and deportation of a 78-year-old man on medical grounds.
Sobharaj killed a large number of people in Asia in the 1970s and was linked to more than 20 murders. He has been in jail since 2003 in Nepal for killing two North American tourists.
Killed his way down the hippie trail
Sopraj’s tactic was to first befriend and trust future victims – mostly backpackers – before drugging, robbing and murdering them. “Snake” pretended to be a seller of precious stones. On his travels he met Marie-Andre Leclerc († 38), who became a loyal ally despite his crimes. Both later gained the trust of their victims only by helping them out of a difficult situation. For example, Sobhraj offered to sleep in his hostel for free or help victims find their passports that he had stolen earlier.
Because his victims often wore only bathing suits, he became known in the media as the “Bikini Killer”. He used the male victims’ passports to travel. He was nicknamed “Snake” due to his ability to escape the clutches of justice by assuming other identities.
Deportation within 15 days
He then killed his victims when he threatened to expose them as a fraud. Sobraj also traveled to Geneva with Leclerc to sell precious stones. Sobraj served his sentence in India from 1976 to 1997. After that he led a very comfortable life in Paris, which he financed by selling his autobiography. In 2003 he was arrested in Nepal, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment on earlier suspicions. Until now.
Jail sources said Sobhraj will be released from Kathmandu jail on Thursday. The Supreme Court ordered his extradition within 15 days. (AFP/jmh)
“Wannabe pop culture fanatic. Zombie advocate. Entrepreneur. Internet evangelist. Alcohol fanatic. Typical travel buff.”
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