Charles Sobhraj freed after 19 years in jail, deported within hours to France
Charles Sobhraj, the infamous “bikini killer”, was Friday deported to his home country of France, hours after his release in the morning in Kathmandu where he spent close to two decades in incarceration.
Authorities in Nepal moved swiftly to put the serial killer on a 6 pm (local time) Qatar Airlines flight to Doha, en route to Paris, ensuring that he spent the least possible time in the country as a free man.
Sobhraj was convicted and jailed in India in 1976 on the charge of murder and was released in 1997. He landed in prison again after he came to Kathmandu in 2003. A murder case from the 1970s was reopened and the courts awarded him a life term — which, in Nepal, runs to 20 years.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Nepal waived his remaining ten months in jail, ordering his release and deportation to France within 15 days.
The Nepal government, taking no chance, overruled his wish to spend some time with his family and friends — he had married a Nepali woman — by holding a pre-departure get-together. Nepal Home Ministry sources said Sobhraj was also vulnerable to assault by the enemies he had created during his over 19-year imprisonment.
Sobhraj’s notoriety earned him nicknames such as “bikini killer” (he targeted mostly backpacking Western tourists in Asia) and “serpent” (for the skill with which he evaded police).
His modus operandi allegedly involved drugging his victims and then killing them. It is estimated that Sobhraj, who was most active between 1972 and 1976, killed 15-20 people in this period.
Sobhraj was officially released from the Central Jail in Sundhara on Thursday. But once he stepped up to the gate, his lawyers asked authorities to let him spend a night there as its “guest”. The jail authorities accepted what seemed to be a scripted request.
After his release in the morning, Sobhraj was taken to the immigration office Friday under heavy security. Not only was Sobhraj barred from speaking to the media, even taking his photograph was difficult.
The French Embassy in Kathmandu prepared travel documents for him as he had no valid passport or visa. The embassy was in regular contact with immigration authorities and both sides were in agreement that the deportation should be swift.
The French Embassy blocked a seat on flight QR 647 leaving Kathmandu at 6 pm. Airport authorities said the embassy bought the ticket only around 90 minutes prior to departure.
Officials from the French Embassy accompanied immigration and security officials and put him on the aircraft around 50 minutes before take-off.
A senior government security official said: “Our responsibility is over and now it’s for the French authorities to transfer him to another aircraft at Doha and then receive him at Paris.”
