Serial killer Charles Sobhraj walks out of Nepal jail, handed to immigration officials

Days after his release was ordered by Nepal's Supreme Court, dreaded serial killer Charles Sobhraj walked out of a jail in Kathmandu on 23 December 2022. He was released after serving 19 years on murder charges.

Since Sobhraj is a French citizen of Indian and Vietnamese descent, he was handed over to immigration authorities for processing of his documents.

A joint bench of justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Tilak Prasad Shrestha on Wednesday ordered to free 78-year-old from jail. His release from the Central Prison on Thursday was delayed by a day as the Department of Immigration, where Sobhraj was to be sent for deportation, did not have a separate room ready for him.

The apex court had ordered the government to deport him to the country that issued him passport within 15 days, unless he is wanted in some other case.

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Nicknamed "the Bikini Killer" and "the Serpent" due to his skill at deception and evasion, Sobharaj was serving a life-term in the Kathmandu jail since 2003 for the murder of American woman Connie Jo Bronzich in 1975 in Nepal.

In 2014, he was convicted of killing Laurent Carriere, a Canadian backpacker, and given a second life sentence. A life-term in Nepal means 20 years in jail.

The order by the division bench of Nepal's top court came after Sobhraj filed a plea claiming that he was put in prison more than the period recommended for him. There is a legal provision to release prisoners who have completed 75 per cent jail term and showed good character during imprisonment.

(With PTI inputs)