The French murderer known as ‘Le Serpent’ has been released from prison in Nepal after serving most of his sentence for the murders of American and Canadian backpackers.
Charles Sobhraj, whose reputation as an artist of disguise and escapism earned him the nickname, was serving two life sentences in Nepal for the murders of Connie Jo Bronzich and Laurent Carriere in 1975.
Sobhraj, 78, was driven from Kathmandu Central Jail on Friday in a heavily guarded police convoy to the immigration department, where he will wait for his travel documents to be prepared.
The country’s Supreme Court had ordered his release on the grounds of poor health, good behavior and having already served most of his sentence.
The Frenchman is said to have killed at least 20 people in Afghanistan, India, Thailand, Turkey, Nepal, Iran and Hong Kong in the 1970s.
He is believed to have primarily targeted young backpackers on the hippie trail and also became known as the Bikini Killer as the bodies of several female victims were found in swimsuits.
Sobhraj’s release order stipulates that he must leave the country within 15 days.
Gopal Siwakoti Chitan, his lawyer, said that the request for travel documents must be made by the immigration service at the French embassy in Nepal, which can take some time.
The offices are closed on weekends for the Christmas holidays.
Sobhraj was imprisoned in Nepal in 2004 after he was spotted in a Kathmandu casino and arrested.
Nihita Biswas, who claims to be wife of Charles Sobhraj, released from Immigration Department
He had previously spent two decades in the maximum security Tihar prison in Delhi, but the trial in Nepal was the first time he had been convicted of murder.
Thailand issued an arrest warrant for Sobhraj in the 1970s for drugging and killing six women, all wearing bikinis, but he was jailed in India before he could stand trial on those charges.
