Charles Sobhraj, subject of The Serpent, back in spotlight after prison release

Charles Sobhraj, the serial killer who became the subject of the series The Serpent, was released from jail back in December. Now that he has had time to settle into domestic life in Paris, Sobhraj has established himself as something a little less slippery than his nickname: a prolific author and spotlight hog.

Due to his age and health, Charles Sobhraj was released from a Nepali jail after spending nearly 20 years behind bars. Sobhraj was serving time for the murders of two people, although he has 12 confirmed murders, with estimates putting the potential number as high as 30. After his release, Charles Sobhraj moved to Paris. It’s there that he lives today, writing an autobiography called “Moi, le Serpent”, released in February. He has also marked himself as a talk show guest, appearing on a couple of French shows, evidently always with his lawyer nearby. A recent piece on Air Mail stated, “Prison does not seem to scare Sobhraj. His biggest fear appears to be anonymity.”

Even at 78, Sobhraj has maintained his innocence, saying, “They have nothing on me.” Charles Sobhraj targeted Western tourists along what was known as the “hippie trail”, which joined South Asia and Europe. Most of the murders took place in Thailand.

Charles Sobhraj has been the subject of numerous books and media, including the 1989 TV miniseries Shadow of the Cobra and the Bollywood film Main Aur Charles. In 2021, BBC One and Netflix released The Serpent, an eight-part series on Charles Sobjraj, starring Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) as the killer, who was also called the Bikini Killer and the Splitting Killer. Rahim was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, a category Evan Peters would win the following year for playing serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. After all, Netflix loves them some murderers!

The Serpent’s plot: “A hidden darkness on Asia’s hippie trail. The twisting, real-life story of a murderer, thief and seductive master of disguise…[It is] the remarkable story of how one of the world’s most wanted men: thief, fraudster, master of disguise and serial killer, Charles Sobhraj was brought to justice…”

Did you watch The Serpent when it aired? What did you think of it? Let us know in the comments section below!