CNN
—
Charles SobrajA notorious French serial killer who inspired the award-nominated TV series “The Serpent” was released from a Nepalese prison on Friday.
“Shopraj has been released from jail. He has been handed over to the Immigration Department. Immigration officials told us that he will be deported to France soon,” Nepal Central Prison Officer Iswari Prasad Pandey told CNN.
Sobhraj, aged 78 He is serving a life sentence For killing two tourists in Nepal in 1975, but many of his murders remain unsolved.
He was released after Nepal’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered his release considering his age and health. He was suffering from heart disease and required open heart surgery, the court said.
Local officials said they are making arrangements for Chopraj’s immediate deportation, which could happen as early as Friday.
“We are working on collecting all the necessary travel documents to deport Sopraj to France,” Acting Director General of Nepal’s Immigration Department Pradarshani Kumari told CNN, “It may happen today (Friday) and it may take a few days.”
“The court order is to send him to his native country within 15 days. With that deadline in mind, we are working on his extradition. He will remain under the surveillance of the Nepalese government until he leaves. We are working with the Home Ministry regarding his security,” Kumari added.
The official said the department is in close touch with the French embassy in Kathmandu.
Born in Saigon in French-administered Vietnam, Sowraj was first jailed in Paris in 1963 for theft, but has been accused of committing crimes in a list of countries including France, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and India. Thailand and Malaysia.
He also escaped from prison In many countriesand his penchant for evading the authorities earned him the nickname “The Snake”.
Sobraj eventually confessed to at least 12 murders between 1972 and 1976 and pointed out others to interviewers before recanting the confessions ahead of further court cases, according to his biographers. The actual death toll is unknown.
In 2014, a Nepalese court sentenced Sobhraj to 20 years in prison for the 1975 murder of Canadian tourist Laurent Carrier.
The 2021 BBC/Netflix drama “The Serpent” is based on the alleged murders of Sobra. It tells how he eluded the law for years across Asia, where he allegedly drugged, robbed and murdered along the so-called “hippy trail” – where former Dutch ambassador Hermann Nippenberg worked with authorities to catch him.
