Charles Sobhraj, the notorious serial killer known as 'The Serpent', who murdered at least 20 tourists across Thailand, India, and Nepal in the 1970s, is now free after serving a 20-year prison term in Nepal. He was released in 2022 at the age of 82 and has been seen wandering casually through London, stopping to photograph Big Ben, as captured in a Channel 4 documentary.
The Reign of Terror
Sobhraj poisoned, robbed, and murdered holidaymakers, ensnaring them with his magnetism and allure. He bragged, "I was like a shadow," claiming this allowed him to evade capture repeatedly. His victims included backpackers from various countries, and he was linked to at least 20 murders, though convicted for only two.
Early Life and Criminal Beginnings
Born in Saigon to a Vietnamese mother and an Indian father, Sobhraj displayed criminal behavior as a teenager in France. He was first jailed for burglary in Paris in 1963, according to History Hit. He deceived prison guards into granting special treatment, such as allowing books in his cell. A master of disguise, he moved between high society and criminal underworlds, where he met his future wife, Chantal Compagnon.
On the day he proposed to Chantal, a young Parisian woman, he was arrested for driving a stolen vehicle while evading police. He served eight months before marrying her upon release. In 1970, Sobhraj and a pregnant Chantal fled France, preying on holidaymakers and forging documents while traveling through Eastern Europe. Their daughter, Usha, was born in Mumbai, where Sobhraj operated a car theft and smuggling ring.
Escapes and Escalation
Sobhraj was jailed again in 1973 after orchestrating an armed robbery of precious stones at Hotel Ashoka. He escaped by feigning illness, a tactic he used repeatedly, though he was swiftly recaptured. After his father secured bail, he moved to Kabul, where he was imprisoned again for preying on tourists. He faked sickness once more, drugged a hospital guard, and escaped to Iran, abandoning his family.
He spent two years on the run across Eastern Europe and the Middle East before reuniting with his half-brother Andre in Istanbul. Both were apprehended in Greece, but Sobhraj switched identities with Andre, leaving him in a Turkish jail for 18 years. This marked the escalation to outright murder.
The Murders
He posed as a drug dealer to lure Western tourists, robbing them and killing those he feared might betray him. One of his earliest victims, Seattle tourist Teresa Knowlton, was found drowned in a tidal pool in the Gulf of Thailand in 1975, wearing a floral bikini. The Bangkok Post dubbed him the 'Bikini Killer' as many female victims were found dead in swimwear. He also poisoned, drowned, and set fire to travelers.
Other victims included Dutch students Henk Bintanja and Cornelia Hemker, Turkish national Vitali Hakim, and his French girlfriend Charmayne Carrou. Sobhraj traveled with accomplices Chowdery and Marie-Andree Leclerc, leaving a trail of victims in India and Nepal.
Capture and Imprisonment in India
In India, Sobhraj's luck ran out when French students began losing consciousness after he drugged their drinks. He was charged with murdering Frenchman Jean-Luc Solomon and sentenced to 12 years in prison. He concealed precious gemstones to bribe guards, enjoying a lavish life behind bars with a television and gourmet meals. As his release neared, he escaped by drugging guards during a party but was recaptured, and his term was extended by a decade, ensuring his Thai arrest warrant lapsed. He was freed in 1997 and lived in France, reveling in infamy through media engagements.
Arrest in Nepal and Later Life
In 2003, Sobhraj traveled to Nepal, where a journalist identified him. He was arrested at a casino and sentenced to life in November 2004 for murdering Connie Jo Bronzich in December 1975. He failed two appeals, and Nepal's Supreme Court upheld the life sentence in 2010. He was later convicted for murdering Laurent Carriere in 1975, receiving an additional 20-year sentence in 2014, which he did not challenge. Despite a Thai arrest warrant issued in 1976, he has avoided return to Thailand and remains unprosecuted for crimes there.
Accomplices and Investigators
Marie-Andree Leclerc, his most dedicated accomplice, harbored a deep romantic fixation. The Canadian met Sobhraj in India and gave up everything to stay with him. She evaded capture through forged documents but was detained in India in 1976. Both received 12-year sentences in 1980, but Leclerc successfully appealed and was released on condition she stay in India. She wrote a memoir denying true romantic feelings. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1983, she returned to Canada and died in 1984 at age 38.
Herman Knippenberg, a Dutch diplomat, exposed Sobhraj's crimes in Thailand. Investigating the disappearance of Dutch tourists Henk Bintanja and Cornelia Hemker, he discovered they were murdered and misidentified as Australians. He built a case against Sobhraj, entering the killer's flat to collect evidence and maintaining files that helped bring him to justice. Knippenberg left Thailand in 1977, divorced in 1989, and now lives in New Zealand with his partner.
