Born in 1944, Charles Sobhraj, 73 is a French serial killer with Vietnamese and Indian origin. Targeting many western tourists in South East Asia in 1970, he gained a negative fame as ‘bikini killer.’
He was nicknamed as ‘the splitting killer and the serpent’ because of his skill at deception. He is widely believed to be a psychopath because he wanted to murder people as part of his adventurous life.
A dozen of murders are on his head and he especially targeted female. From 1996 to 1997, declaring him guilty, he served as a prisoner in Tihar jail of India. Later after he was released from the jail he stayed in Paris. 2003 was the year when he returned to Nepal and was arrested there for an old case. A lifetime imprisonment was a verdict by Nepalese government and since then he is serving the punishment in Nepal.
Personal Life
His father was of Indian Sindhi origin and mother from Vietnam. He was later adopted by a French lieutenant who was supposed to be his mother’s boyfriend. He was though neglected when the duo had their own child. In 1963, he was jailed for the first time for burglary in Paris. He was best in manipulating people and in prison he manipulated police personals to grant him keep books in his cell.
After he came to the prison, he made money from scams and burglaries. He had a very different personality before he was caught in India. After he was released he made money with interviews and film rights. He has got four books and three doc u mentaries on his name. He was kind of enjoying these stuff.
Married Life And Affair
Charles Sobhraj was in a relationship with a Parisian woman named Chantal Compagnon. Sobhraj proposed Chantal for Marriage but unfortunately, he got arrested the same day for a stolen car. He served 8 months in prison and when he was released, they got married.
The couple later left France in 1970 and settled in Asia to escape arrest. Chantal gave birth to a baby girl named Usha in India. After the birth of his first child, he actively involved in criminal activities. He involved in smuggling and with he got addicted to gambling. He attempted to rob a jewelry store at hotel Ashoka and miserably failed and was poisoned again. He escaped from the jail with the help of Chantal and moved to Kabul.
In Kabul, the robbery continued and this time his wife too was involved. Again he was caught and he escaped from the prison after faking illness and drugging the hospital guard. Sobhraj moved to Iran leaving behind Chantal and daughter. They moved to Paris and Chantal agreed on never meeting him again.
The next two year was tough for Charles. He ran from place to place using 10 stolen pa s sport of different countries. His younger brother Andre joined him in Istanbul. They both became partners in crime. The criminal brothers were arrested in Athens where Charles escaped after an identity switch plan and his brother was left in prison. He served 18 years in jail.
Crime and Arrest
In 2007, a journalist saw Shobhraj on the streets of Kathmandu. The journalist immediately informed Nepalese police personals who arrested him two days later in a casino of Yak and Yeti hotel.
He was sentenced a lifetime imprisonment by the Kathmandu district court. Charles appealed against the decision saying they sentenced him without a trial. His conviction was later confirmed by Patan court in 2005.
Life in Jail
Late in 2008 Sobhraj announced his engagement with Nepali woman Nihita Biswas. It was reported that they got married in jail on the day of Nepalese festival ‘Bada Dashain.’ Supreme Court of Nepal ordered a life sentence in 2010 July 30 for murdering US Citizen Jo Bronzich. He was fined RS 2000 fine for using a fake pa s sport to enter the country.
A few days ago he fell unconscious in jail and when he was examined he was said to have to suffer a heart disease. According to reports, he will have an open heart surgery in a hospital in Nepal. He has asked to take him Paris for the surgery. He said that there is more risk of doing an open heart surgery in Nepal, therefore, he wants to go to Paris for the surgery.
Doctors who examined him said that he definitely is having a heart problem but he is not very serious. He requires an urgent valve replacement and surgery, the date of surgery is June 10, 2017.
