Latest news on Charles Sobhraj, also known as "the Serpent," a French serial killer and thief who committed crimes in South and Southeast Asia in the 1970s
His various monikers include Splitting Killer and Bikini Killer
Sobhraj is known as the Bikini Killer, as he used to prey on unsuspecting female tourists, who were later found dead in a bikini.
His other name was the Splitting Killer because he usually ran a scam to gain the trust of his victim, and defrauded or killed them later.
He also got the name The Serpent due to his numerous jail escape attempts.
Charmer
Sobhraj was a charmer and apparently fluent in several languages.
His first known murder victim was an American woman named Teresa Knowlton, who was found in a tidal pool in the Gulf of Thailand.
While the show imagines Sobhraj as a ruthless killer, there is a small room left for his portrayal as a victim of circumstances in a sequence in the second episode where he asserts how, from the time he was 15 he felt that no one actually wanted him, that he was denied everything. While most of “The Serpent” depicts Sobhraj as a cold, calculating monster, the series creates scope to humanise him through this scene.
SNAKE (yet to release)
Based on Farrukh Dhondy’s research and interviews with Charles Sobhraj, three seasons of the series will be produced in Hindi and English, according to reports. The series will stream on Zee5. Details are awaited.