Friendship, drugs and then more than 20 murders, the full story of Charles Sobhraj, known as 'Bikini Killer'

Charles Sobhraj, popularly known as Bikini Killer, is about to come out of jail after 19 years. The Supreme Court of Nepal has ordered his release. Hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Sobhraj, a joint bench of Justices Sapna Pradhan Malla and Til Prasad Shrestha ordered his release, saying it would make arrangements to send the French national back to their country within 15 days. Go Charles Sobhraj has more than 20 murder cases. On the basis of his handsome personality, Charles would first befriend, then kill by giving him drugs. In the 70s, Charles Sobhraj had become a headache for many countries. Sobhraj, 78, has been in jail in Nepal since 2003 on charges of killing two North American tourists. The Supreme Court has now ordered her release on the basis of her plea and health.

Sobhraj was wanted in Nepal for the 1975 murders of Canadian Lady Dupar and American woman Annabella Tremont. He had befriended both of them in Kathmandu. Police arrested Sobhraj in September 2003 from a five-star hotel.

Charles Sobhraj was born on April 6, 1944, in Saigon, France. His father was of Indian origin. While the mother was from Vietnam. His parents were never married. As a child, Charles started committing petty crimes. He was jailed for the first time in 1963 for theft.

According to reports, Sobhraj had killed at least 20 tourists in South and Southeast Asia, including 14 in Thailand. In 1996, when it seemed that he would be extradited to Thailand to face charges for the murder of six bikini-clad women on a beach in Pattaya, he escaped from a prison in Delhi.

Sobhraj was later arrested again in Goa. He was living in France after his release from jail in India. In 2010, the Supreme Court upheld the life sentence awarded to him by the Kathmandu district court. After which Sobhraj repeatedly filed writ petitions in the Supreme Court, demanding that senior citizens above 70 years of age should be exempted from jail. Its benefit should also be given to him.

What the Supreme Court said in the release order - In the petition seeking his release, Sobhraj argued that he has already spent 19 years in jail and is now 78 years old. In that case, he should be released. On this, the court ruled, "Continuously keeping him in jail is not in accordance with the human rights of the prisoner. If there is no other case pending against him to keep him in jail, then this court will ask for his release and ...within 15 days." orders to return to his country.

In jail in 2008, Sobhraj married Nihita Biswas, who is 44 years his junior and the daughter of his Nepali lawyer. A film has also been made on the story of Charles Sobhraj. Randeep Hooda's starrer film 'Main Aur Charles' is based on Sobhraj's life story. During that time the actor also met Killer in jail. Randeep Hooda played the role of Sobhraj in the film. This film was released in 2015.