A French serial killer featured in the Netflix series “Snake” leaves a Nepalese prison

Charles Sobhray, a French serial killer who killed at least a dozen Western tourists traveling through Asia in the 1970s, was released from prison by Nepal’s Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Sobhraj, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in Nepal, was released on the grounds of poor health, good behavior and having served most of his sentence.

Sobhraj said he had to leave Nepal in the next 15 days, but did not specify where he would go, the court order said. He served two life sentences for killing American and Canadian backpackers in Nepal. Life imprisonment in Nepal is 20 years.

He had served more than 75% of his sentence, which is eligible for parole, and suffered from a heart condition, court documents said.

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It is unclear when he will be released as a free man, but it could be in the next few days.

The Frenchman has admitted to killing several Western tourists in the past and is believed to have killed at least 20 people in the 1970s in Afghanistan, India, Thailand, Turkey, Nepal, Iran and Hong Kong. However, in 2004, he was convicted in Nepal for the first time in a court of law.

This photo taken on May 20, 2021 shows the Baan Bellavin apartments in Bangkok, where an episode of the TV series “Snake” was filmed.
(LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images)

Sobhraj was held for two decades in New Delhi’s maximum-security Tihar Jail on suspicion of theft, but was deported to France in 1997 without charge. He reappeared in Kathmandu in September 2003.

Sobhraj’s nickname “Snake” comes from his reputation as a talented mask and escape artist. His crimes are depicted in the 2021 Netflix series Snake, starring Tahar Rahim and Jenna Coleman.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.