Charles Sobhraj - A Serial Killer

 Introduction

The man who needs no introduction in the world of serial killers. Charles Sobhraj a.k.a "Bikini Killer", "The Serpent" and "The Splitting Killer" was born in Saigon, Vietnam in April, 1944. He was an illicit son of a charming Vietnamese and an affluent father.   When Sobhraj was four years old, his father married a young Indian women and his mother wedded a French military personnel. His early childhood was disturbed and turmoil on the streets of Saigon. Not only was he was infected by the trauma of parents separation but the land of Indochina was suffering from the fights of French colonial troops against Vietnam Minh communist opponents.

In 1953, his step-father took the whole family to France. Sobhraj was admitted to a French boarding school he hated, because he was the medial of racial insults and jokes. Having tried to escape two times to Saigon from France via sea expresses his anger and disrupted feelings.

“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.” ― Sophocles, Antigone

Inhuman and Scandalous Acts

In most cases, the deadliest serial killers starts with something easy. In Sobhraj's case, it was a auto theft near the early 1960's.  He was twice arrested but after having married a Persian women namely Chantal Compagon, he wished to reform himself. The wish merely remained a wish with his continuing smuggling and robbery crimes.

Bikini Killer

In no time, he gained the confidence to pursue serious crimes involving drug-and-loot as well as murders. In the era of 1970's, he ganged up with a co-conspirator who later became his mistress. From 1972 to 1976, he's been reported to have killed more than 20 people out of which majority were young backpackers travelling the "Asian Hippe Trail" from western countries. The secret behind enormous nicknames lies in the murders and  prison escapes. One of his victim was found in a bikini and Sobhraj was most referred as the "Bikini Killer" since then.

The primary reason for his infamy was not only because of numerous master-minded murders but the escapes from a number of prison. He was known for a charming and deceptive personality. In July of 1976, he joined hands with three women, who together drugged a group of four French post-graduate students as tour guides via poisoned pills. They made them believe that the pills were anti-dysentery medicine. The students fallen unconscious but later realized what Shobraj did to them. Finally, the police acquired Shobraj In 1986, imprisoned him for the murder of Solomon to Tihar prison in New Delhi.

The Serpent

 Having escaped from jails numerous times, he was an experienced briber. He bribed every prison guard to have lived a luxury life within jail, to enjoy gourmet food, TV and more. During a party at prison, he drugged the guards and escaped. It was then everyone referred to him as "The Serpent". He was captured a month later but it was probably an intentional move by him. Shobraj needed to prolong his sentence because Thai arrest for 20-years against him was still valid by his release date. So in 1986, he threw this giant party to be able to escape, caught again and sentenced for 10 more years. Otherwise, the 20-year Thai arrest likely would have ended up as death penalty.

Celebrity

Sobhraj was released from prison in 1997, returned to Paris for enjoying a luxury celebrity lifestyle. Shobraj has been interviewed many times for which he charges millions of dollars. In a few years time, precisely 2003, he was arrested again for another murder he did in 1975 of an American backpacker Connie in Nepal. His 2004 prison escape attempt was a failure and he probably would be planning another escape plan.