While Sobhraj fled Athens, his brother was handed over to Afgan authorities and he (Andre) served his 18-year prison sentence. Chantal and Charles used fake documents to escape France, robbing travelers in Eastern Europe. Charles Sobhraj with his daughter Muriel Anouk. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Usha Sutliff, 50, is the daughter of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj and his former lover, Chantal Compagnon Sobhraj, 77, who is currently serving a life sentence, is the subject of. He wanted to get to his birth father, so he traveled in them. During the same time, he met Chantel Compagnon. That proves I have nothing to hide. Most of Charles Sobhraj's victims were discovered along Southeast Asia's Hippie Trail. In January 2021, BBC One and Netflix co-produced The Serpent, a miniseries based on the crimes of Charles Sobhraj. The verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court of Nepal on July 30, 2010. Reportedly, he entered the prison with gems concealed in his body. Sobhraj told the French news agency Agence-France Presse on the flight out of Nepal that he was not guilty of murdering Bronzich and Carriere and that the case against him was built on fake documents. According to Clarke, they were in surveillance of Charles emissaries who arranged the interview in prison, where Charles discussed his murders. Sobhraj had convinced Chantal to join him in an international crime spree, which involved robbing tourists and faking travel documents. Women mostly found themselves captivated by his piercing gaze, muscular build, confidence, and dangerous reputation. From an early age, he was disobedient and delinquent, but smart and charismatic at the same time. [41], Sobhraj has been the subject of three non-fiction books, Serpentine (1979) by Thomas Thompson,[42] The Life and Crimes of Charles Sobhraj (1980) by Richard Neville and Julie Clarke,[43] and the section titled "The Bikini Murders" by Noel Barber in the Reader's Digest collection Great Cases of Interpol (1982). He strangled Dutch students Henk Bintanja and Cornelia Hemker and burned their bodies, and later murdered Hakim's French girlfriend Charmayne Carrou, who had come to Sobhraj looking for Hakim. Even though Charles relationship with his parents wasnt great in the years that followed, he kept in touch with them. Sobhraj and Chowdhury committed their first known murder in 1975. A French national who was born to an Indian father and Vietnamese mother, Sobhraj, 78, landed at Paris's main international airport on a commercial flight shortly after 7am. A martial arts fanatic, Charles knew Karate and he often used it to defend himself in prison. At the same time, he was flirting with dozens of women, including a Madrasi woman whom Sobhraj had sent a marriage proposal. Sobhraj was charged with the murder of Solomon and all four were sent to Tihar Jail in New Delhi. Soon, Charles began pursuing Compagnon. But when Charles was 4-years-old, his father abandoned the family and subsequently tied the knot with an Indian woman. He was jailed in India for poisoning a group of French tourists in the capital, Delhi, in 1976, before he could stand trial on the charges against him in Thailand. In 2008, Farrukh Dhondy released his book The Bikini Murders in which the lead character was based on Charles Sobhraj. Charles Sobhrajs trial was quite a show. [14], In 2003, Sobhraj returned to Nepal, one of the few countries where he could still be arrested[29] and where he was still eagerly sought by authorities. On July 10, 2010, the Supreme Court upheld the verdict against Charles; he was sentenced to life imprisonment with an additional one year, a fine of Rs. Charles Sobhraj after his release from Tihar Jail. He was also flirting with multiple women at the same time, including a Madrasi woman (whom Charles had sent a marriage proposal). [40], In 2010, he married his Indian-Nepali interpreter, Nihita Biswas, in prison. Charles Sobhraj was born during World War II to a Vietnamese shop girl, Tran Loan Phung, and an Indian Sindhi businessman, Sobhraj Hatchard Bavani, in Saigon, where the latter was based. Indian authorities decided to return Charles to France because they were no countries that wanted to accept Charles. Sobhraj Hatchard Bavani is Charles's father, and Tran Loang Phun is his mother. Border police were conducting identity checks, French media reported. Sobhraj first married a young Parisian woman named Chantal Compagnon in the late 1960s. Sobhraj managed to send his son back a year later, but as Charles did not have the proper documents on him, he was returned to his mother in Marseilles, France. In late 2007, Sobhraj's lawyer appealed to then-French president Nicolas Sarkozy for intervention with Nepal. Charles lived a luxurious prison life in India; he had a television, a room, and gourmet food, something that can only be imagined in Tihar. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [14] He became a French citizen after his . The couple went to Bombay, where Compagnon gave birth to their daughter, Usha Sobhraj. On 17 February 1997, 52-year-old Sobhraj was released with most warrants, evidence, and even witnesses against him long lost. Although the murders of the two women were not connected by investigators at the time, they would later earn Sobhraj the nickname "The Bikini Killer". IANS INDIA. He was once advocated by Jacques Vergs, a Siamese-born French lawyer known for defending war criminals like Nazi Klaus Barbie, terrorist Carlos the Jackal, and Holocaust denier Roger Garaudy. During interrogation, Smith and Eather confessed everything, and the four criminals were sent to Tihar Jail in Delhi. As of April 2021, Charles is in a Nepali prison in poor health condition. Suddenly I saw the police gathered around a body the naked, burned corpse of a young white woman. Sobhraj has been the subject of four biographies, three documentaries, an Indian film titled Main Aur Charles, and the 2021 eight-part BBC/Netflix drama series The Serpent. Marie-Andree also received a twelve-year prison sentence after she was found guilty of drugging French students and murdering Jacob. By the time he was released, most of the warrants, evidence, and witnesses against him were lost. Sobhraj fled to Iran, leaving his family behind. He mostly lured foreign tourists, made them his followers, and later stole from them. He was later found guilty of killing Bronzichs Canadian friend, Laurent Carriere, and had served 19 years of a 20-year sentence. Main Aur Charles Motion Poster Out Randeep Hooda as Charles Sobhraj. Statue depicting Sobhraj at the O'Coqueiro Restaurant, "International Serial Killer Charles Sobhraj, 64, Engaged to Woman, 20", "Serial Killer Charles Sobhraj's Wife Nihita Biswas On His Plans After Release", "Sobhraj finally Convicted & Life-sentenced", "Supreme Court orders release of Charles Sobhraj", "Nepal court to release serial killer Charles 'the serpent' Sobhraj", "On the trail of the serpent the fatal charm of Charles Sobhraj", "Bikini killer Charles Sobhraj and his complete life story! As a result, he has a mixed (Vietnamese and Indian) ethnic origin. He reportedly demanded $15 million for the rights to a film on his life. He is defended by Isabelle Coutant-Peyne, married to terrorist Carlos the Jackal. On December 18, 1975, Charles and Marie-Andre entered Nepal on the passports of Hemker and Bintaja, and the same day, their bodies were identified by investigators. Growing up, he read the book The Will to Power by Friedrich Nietzsche, which helped him get into the mind of his victims and people in general. Two of his accomplices, Barbara Smith and Mary Ellen Eather, tried to commit suicide in the prison. During the promotions of the book, Farrukh confessed that he was associated with Charles Sobhraj, who was once (Sobhraj) friends with Masood Azhar (the founder of the Islamic terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)). He passed through various countries in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Smith and Eather confessed everything during police interrogation, and the four criminals were sent to Tihar Jail in Delhi, awaiting trial. Some other victims of Charles Sobhraj were: At that time, the investigators found no connection in the murders of Charmayne Carrou and Teresa Knowlton. He was a Frenchman. His father, Sobhraj Hatchard Bavani, was a Sindhi Indian expatriate, while his mother, Tran Loang Phun, was a Vietnamese native. Talking about his arrival and arrest in Nepal, in an interview, Charles quoted, This is a huge miscarriage of justice. Sobhraj met a young French woman named Chantal Compagnon and began a passionate relationship with her. After Charles received his first prison sentence, his parents thought that they couldnt handle him and abandoned him. Charles Sobhraj Parents, Father, Mother, Dad, Mom Charles Sobhraj Wiki, Biography, Wikipedia, Bio, Early-Life, Education, Career In 1970, Charles and Chantal arrived in Mumbai, where Charles decided to quit crime for his wife and children. That novel became the basis for a five hour mini series in 1984. . Charles is known to have killed more than 20 people in his lifetime and only a few of them are known. His schooling took place at a French boarding school. The next day, the claims were dismissed by the Nepalese jail authorities, stating that Nihita and Charles performed a tika ceremony as a part of Bada Dashami. Sobhraj has been the subject of four biographies, three documentaries, a Bollywood film titled Main Aur Charles, and the 2021 eight-part BBC/Netflix drama series The Serpent. Charles Sobhraj Father: Who Was Sobhraj Hatchard Bavani? He continued to move back and forth in Indochina and France. Sobhraj was met by his lawyer inside a terminal building, according to the author Jean-Charles Deniau, who wrote Moi, le Serpent (Me, the Serpent) and was in contact with Sobhraj after his arrival. In late 2007, Sobhrajs lawyer reportedly pleaded to the then French president Nicolas Sarkozy for intervention with Nepal. In 1971, the couple fled to Kabul, where he made contacts for gun illegal smuggling. A few months before her death in 1984, Marie-Andre Leclerc wrote Je Reviens, a book in which she explained her side of the story, claiming to be innocent and victim of Sobhrajs conspiracy. In one case, he helped two former French policemen, Yannick and Jacques, recover missing passports that Sobhraj himself had actually stolen. His first victim in Thailand was Teresa Knowlton (also named Jennie Bollivar in some sources), a Seattle-based woman who was found drowned in the tidal pool in the Gulf of Thailand; she wore a floral bikini. He went through a series of defence lawyers, started a hunger strike, and even brought in his recently-paroled brother Andr to help. In 2005, the Patan Appellate Court confirmed Sobhrajs sentence. Charles was also born to a Vietnamese mother and an Indian father. In September 2014, the Bhaktapur District Court gave its conviction on Charles in the murder of Canadian tourist Laurent Carrire. It was quiet as a grave. His return is thought to have been the result of his yearning for attention and overconfidence in his own intellect. Sobhraj was portrayed by Randeep Hooda in the 2015 Indian film Main Aur Charles. He was suspected of more murders, including in Thailand, where police say he killed six women in the 1970s, some of whom turned up dead on a beach near the resort of Pattaya. Charles Sobhraj in France after his release from Tihar Jail, Delhi. Around this time, he was believed to have a curio shop in Bangkok, where he lured his victims and stole their belongings by drugging, sometimes to death. Compagnon, though still loyal to Sobhraj, wished to leave their criminal past and returned to France, vowing never to see him again. After getting paroled, Charles accompanied Felix to high society life while involving himself with the Parisian underworld (committing a series of burglaries and scams). On October 9, 2008, during Bada Dashami, it was claimed that Charles married Nihita in jail. His mother, Tran Loang Phun (also Song in some sources) was a bar hostess and shop assistant. Charles had his base in an apartment complex called Kanit House in Bangkok, Thailand. To let Sobhraj escape, Andre posed as Sobhraj and Sobhraj as Andre. Later, his lawyers announced that Chantal Compagnon was filing a case against the French government for not aiding her husband before the European Court of Human Rights. Sobhraj was joined by his younger half-brother, Andr, in Istanbul. The daughter of his lawyer, she was 20 years old and 44 years his junior. Sobhraj and Compagnon were married upon his release. He grew up being neglected by his parents in favour of his half-siblings. After all these years, what I can say is that this girl had a very very sad, abominable destiny., Sobhraj apparently rescued Masood from goons in jail, who had beaten him to a pulp, during their stint in Tihar jail. He then fled to Rawalpindi, Pakistan, where he stole a car by drugging the driver to death. Hotchand Bhawnani Gurmukh Sobhraj was born on 6 April 1944 in Saigon, within the Indochinese Union, to an Indian father and Vietnamese mother. In prison, Charles discussed his murders with Clark and Neville and said, If I have ever killed, or have ordered killings, then it was purely for reasons of business, just a job, like a general in the army., An old picture of Richard Neville and Julie Clarke. Later, after his mother and adoptive father had children, Charles found himself being neglected by his parents. On October 9, 2008, news outlets claimed that Nihita and Charles had married during the Bada Dashami. On February 17, 1997, at the age of 52, Charles was released from prison. Charles is known for his provocative selection of lawyers. Several media portals and news organizations often refer to him as The Bikini Killer, The Splitting Killer, and The Serpent. [1]The Telegraph jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_4037_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_4037_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], }); Hotchand Bhawnani Gurumukh Charles Sobhraj [2]Scroll.in jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_4037_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_4037_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], }); was born on Thursday, April 6, 1944 (age 77 years; as of 2021), in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. He is a French citizen with dual nationality. According to some reports, he had gems concealed in his body when he entered the prison, which he used to bribe the prison guards. In 2003, he was recognised in the streets of Kathmandu by a journalist who informed the authorities. He was always absent from his school due to which his grades suffered. Charles took pleasure in mimicking Chaplin. The trio (Charles, Ajay, and Marie) next made a move to Malaysia, where Charles sent Ajay to collect gemstones. Three of them grew suspicious of Charles, overpowered him, and reported them (Charles and the gang) to the police. Neither Chowdhury nor his remains were ever found and the search for him is continuing till this day. Photo by REX USA. While Charles sentence was about to end in India, his 20-year Thai arrest warrant was still valid. Later, it was released on Netflix. He then fled to Kabul, where he robbed the travelers on the hippie trail between Europe and Eastern Asia and was arrested and kept at an Afghan prison. His companions reported Charles to the police. He was adopted by his mother's boyfriend in French Indochina. Dutch students Henk Bintanja, 29, and his fiance Cornelia Hemker, 25, were invited to Thailand after meeting Sobhraj in Hong Kong. Sobhraj arrives in Paris on commercial flight after release from Nepalese prison on health grounds. For the next two years, he was on run from authorities, using stolen passports and traveling to Eastern Europe and the Middle East. [6] Sobhraj went to Nepal in 2003, where he was arrested, tried, and given a life sentence. You can not be in an apartment and there are people who are chained in your apartment without seeing them. Dominated by Sobhraj, Leclerc became his most devoted follower, turning a blind eye to his crimes and his philandering with local women. In France, he lived in Marseilles. But if were honest, with The Serpent mentioning that Charles was just like his father, were now curious to know more about the latter. On September 1, 2003, a journalist for The Himalayan Times spotted Charles at a casino in Kathmandu. He was a 26-year old Canadian and murdered in Nepal. Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh Charles Sobhraj was born in 1940 in Saigon, but when his parents divorced, he moved to France with his mother and her new partner. He had a thriving car theft and smuggling business and became infamous in the gambling scene of the city. In his lifetime, Charles used dozens of names, most of them were from the passports he had stolen. I came to Nepal to make a documentary. Soon, her mother married her French boyfriend, Lieutenant Alphonse Darreau, who adopted Charles but refused to give him his name. According to Farrukh. Charles Sobhraj. Around the same time, he met and endeared himself to Felix d'Escogne, a wealthy young man and prison volunteer. . In March 1986, Charles threw a big party in prison for his prison inmates and guards; he drugged the food at the party and escaped the prison. In 1989, the Australian TV film Shadow of the Cobra was based on the book The Life and Crimes of Charles Sobhraj (1980) by Richard Neville and Julie Clarke. In his school days, he was always missing from his class due to which he had low grades. During World War II, Charles Sobhraj was born in Saigon to his father, Sobhraj Hatchard Bavani and mother, Tran Loan Phung. [14] His parents were never married and his father denied paternity. Charles acted as a tour guide and made Marie fall in love with him. In January 2021, a British miniseries The Serpent was released on BBC One. Darreau did not give his name to Charles but was a very kind father to him. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Sobhraj gathered followers by gaining their loyalty; a typical scam was to help his target out of difficult situations. [13], Sobhraj, along with a pregnant Compagnon, left France in 1970 for Asia to escape arrest. Charles Sobhraj is a French serial killer, fraudster, and thief. According to a source, Zende walked out to Charles, grabbed his arm, and said. In 1964, Chantal Desnoyers and Charles became parents to their first child, a boy named Pranck. In Bombay, Compagnon and Charles welcomed their daughter, Usha Sobhraj. The journalist followed him for two weeks and wrote a news report in The Himalayan Times with photographs. In his teens, Charles met Chantal Desnoyers in Paris. [18] There, the couple began to rob tourists on the hippie trail and were arrested again. In 1986, he drugged the prison officials and other inmates in a party that he himself had organised and casually walked out of one of the most secure prisons in India. Earlier, it was suspected that Teresa had drowned accidentally while swimming, but months later, autopsy reports showed that she was murdered. In 1963, Sobhraj went to jail for the first time, charged with burglary at Poissy prison near Paris. On December 18, 1975, the day Hemker and Bintajas bodies were identified, Charles and Marie-Andre entered Nepal on the passport of Hemker and Bintaja. While Charles was convicted in India, Thailand issued a 20-year arrest warrant on Charles.

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