True Crime-Paranormal-Conspiracy Theories Stories Part V #Wattys2023

Serial Killer: Charles Sobhraj

Charles Gurumukh Sobhraj HotchandBhawnani (born 6 April 1944) is a French serial killer,fraudster, and thief, who preyed on Western tourists traveling thehippie trail of South Asia during the 1970s. He was known as "theBikini Killer" due to the attire of several of his victims,as well as "the Splitting Killer" and "theSerpent", due to "his snake-like ability to avoiddetection by authorities". Sobhraj is currently imprisonedin Nepal.

It is thought that Sobhraj murdered atleast 20 tourists in South and Southeast Asia, including 14 inThailand. He was convicted and jailed in India from 1976 to 1997.After his release, he retired, promoting his infamy in Paris. Sobhrajlater returned to Nepal in 2003, where he was arrested, tried, andreceived a life sentence.

Described as "handsome,charming and utterly without scruple", he used his looks andcunning to advance his criminal career and obtain celebrity status.He also enjoyed his infamy. Sobhraj has been the subject of fourbiographies, three documentaries, an Indian film titled Main AurCharles, and the 2021 eight-part BBC/Netflix drama series TheSerpent.

Early years

Sobhraj was born in Saigon to an Indianfather and Vietnamese mother. His parents were never married and hisfather denied paternity. Stateless at first, Sobhraj was taken in byhis mother's new husband, a French Army lieutenant stationed inFrench Indochina. There he felt neglected in favor of the couple'slater children. Sobhraj continued to move back and forth betweenSoutheast Asia and France with the family.

As a teenager, he began to commit pettycrimes; he received his first jail sentence for burglary in 1963,serving time at Poissy prison near Paris. While imprisoned, Sobhrajmanipulated prison officials into granting him special favors, suchas being allowed to keep books in his cell. Around the same time, hemet and endeared himself to Felix d'Escogne, a wealthy young man andprison volunteer.

After being paroled, Sobhraj moved inwith d'Escogne and spent his time moving between the high society ofParis and the criminal underworld. He began accumulating richesthrough a series of burglaries and scams. During this time, Sobhrajmet and began a romantic relationship with Chantal Compagnon, a youngParisian woman from a conservative family. Sobhraj proposed marriageto Compagnon, but was arrested later the same day for attempting toevade police while driving a stolen vehicle. He was sentenced toeight months in prison, yet Chantal remained supportive throughoutthe entirety of his sentence. Sobhraj and Compagnon were wed upon hisrelease.

Sobhraj, along with a pregnantCompagnon, left France in 1970 for Asia to escape arrest. Aftertraveling through Eastern Europe with fake documents, robbingtourists whom they befriended along the way, Sobhraj arrived inBombay (modern Mumbai) later the same year. Here, Chantal gave birthto a baby girl, Usha. In the meantime, Sobhraj resumed his criminallifestyle, running a car theft and smuggling operation. Sobhraj'sgrowing profits went towards his budding gambling addiction.

In 1973, Sobhraj was arrested andimprisoned after an unsuccessful armed robbery attempt on a jewelrystore at Hotel Ashoka. Sobhraj was able to escape, with Compagnon'shelp, by faking illness, but was recaptured shortly thereafter.Sobhraj borrowed money for bail from his father, and soon afterwardsfled to Kabul. There, the couple began to rob tourists on the hippietrail and were arrested again. Sobhraj escaped in the same way he hadin India, feigning illness and drugging the hospital guard. Sobhrajfled to Iran, leaving his family behind. Compagnon, though stillloyal to Sobhraj, wished to leave their criminal past behind andreturned to France, vowing never to see him again.