Kathmandu: Nepal’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered release of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, who has been in the country’s jail since 2003 on charges of murdering two American tourists.
The court granted Sobhraj’s release on the grounds of age. The court also ordered his deportation within 15 days of his release.
“Supreme Court of Nepal orders release of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj. He has been released on the grounds of age,” news agency ANI reported.
Supreme Court of Nepal orders release of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj
He has been released on the grounds of age. He has been in a Nepali jail since 2003 on charges of murdering 2 American tourists. The court also ordered his deportation within 15 days of his release.
— ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2022
“He has been in a Nepali jail since 2003 on charges of murdering 2 American tourists. The court also ordered his deportation within 15 days of his release,” it added.
Also known as the ‘bikini killer’
Sobhraj (78), also known as the ‘bikini killer’ due to the attire of several of his victims, allegedly murdered 12 people between 1975 and 1976 in various parts of South East Asia.
He is a Frenchman of Indian and Vietnamese parentage and was charged with using a fake passport to enter Nepal. He is also charged with killing two backpackers in 1975, US citizen Connie Jo Boronzich, 29, and his girlfriend Canadian Laurent Carrière, 26.
Sobhraj was spotted outside a casino in Nepal on September 1, 2003 after a newspaper published his photograph.
After his arrest, the police filed two separate murder cases against him on charges of murdering the couple in 1975 in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur.
He has been serving 21-year imprisonment in Kathmandu’s Central Jail, 20 year for murdering the US citizen and one year and a fine of Rs 2,000 for using a fake passport.
(With inputs from agencies)
