The serial killer nicknamed “The Serpent”, who was the subject of the television series, has been released

Charles Sobhraj, a 78-year-old French national, was convicted of murdering more than 20 hippies and backpackers in South Asia by drugging their food or drink while robbing them.

On Wednesday, Nepal’s Supreme Court decided to release him from prison, citing the age of the defendant, who has been in jail since 2003. He was escorted by police from Kathmandu Central Prison on Friday morning, Reuters reported. His lawyer, Gopal Shivakoti Chintan, told Reuters Sobhraj was considering going to France.

IT WAS THE THEME OF THE SERIES

The murders of the serial killer, dubbed a “snake” for escaping police and in disguise, were the subject of several television series, including a Netflix/BBC co-production.

In 2008 he married Nihita Biswas, a woman of Nepali nationality 44 years his junior. After the news of his release, Sobhraj’s mother-in-law, Sakuntala Thapa, said, “I am happy, I have great respect for our judiciary and our Supreme Court.” she said she.

Born to a Vietnamese mother and an Indian father, Sobhraj has been described by her associates as a “con artist, seductress, thief and murderer”. The French serial killer is also claimed to have killed at least 20 people in Afghanistan, India, Thailand, Iran, Turkey and Hong Kong.

The actual death toll spanning decades and multiple countries is unknown. Sobhraj was convicted in 2004 by Nepali courts of murdering American and Canadian travelers.