The Supreme Court of Nepal on Wednesday, 21 December, ordered the release of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, on the grounds of his age.
Sobhraj has been in a jail in Nepali since 2003 on charges of murdering two American tourists. The court also ordered his deportation within 15 days of his release.
Who is Charles Sobhraj? A Frenchman of Indian and Vietnamese parentage, Sobhraj was charged with using a fake passport to enter Nepal and killing two backpackers in 1975, United States citizen Connie Jo Boronzich, 29, and his girlfriend Canadian Laurent Carrière, 26.
The killer was next spotted outside a casino in Nepal on 1 September 2003, after a newspaper published his photograph.
Following this, he was arrested. Two separate murder cases were then filed against him on charges of murdering the couple in 1975 in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur.
How long was he sentenced to prison? Sobhraj had been serving 21-year imprisonment in Kathmandu's Central Jail, 20 years for murdering the US citizen and one year and a fine of Rs 2,000 for using a fake passport.
Notably: The murderous streak of the Frenchman and his narrow escapes even inspired an eight-part Netflix series titled ‘The Serpent’, released on 2 April 2021.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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