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‘The Serpent’ Serial Killer Sent to France After Prison Release

Charles Sobhraj was pictured on a flight from Kathmandu, and his seatmates appeared less than pleased.

French serial killer Charles Sobhraj was released from a prison in Nepal on Friday after a court ruled he should be allowed out on health grounds earlier this week. Sobhraj, 78, had been serving a life sentence for murdering two Western tourists in Nepal in 1975. His release was ordered by Nepal’s Supreme Court on Wednesday citing his age and heart problems, with the order stipulating that Sobhraj must be deported within 15 days. On Friday, Sobhraj boarded a flight from Kathmandu airport to Doha en route to Paris after clearing immigration, said Basudev Ghimire, a Kathmandu airport immigration official. Pictures of him on the plane Friday appeared to show his fellow passengers looking a little uneasy at his presence. Sobhraj has been linked in some sources with over two dozen slayings, typically targeting hippie backpackers traveling Asia in the 1970s. He became known as “The Serpent” for his ability to avoid authorities—his nickname was used as the title of a Netflix series based on his dark story.