Charles “The Serpent” Sobhraj serial killer freed from Nepal prison, heads to France

Charles Sobhraj, a convicted killer who police say is responsible for a string of murders in the 1970s and 1980s, was released from a Nepal prison on Friday after nearly two decades behind bars.

Dubbed the “bikini killer” in Thailand as well as "The Serpent" for his evasion of police and use of disguises, the 78-year-old French national is suspected of killing more than 20 Western backpackers on the “hippie trail” through Asia. His notoriety and exploits in drugging his victims’ food or drinks in the course of robbing them have been the subject of several dramatizations, including a Netflix and BBC joint production released last year.

According to a Kathmandu airport official, Sobhraj left Nepal early on Friday evening on a regular flight to Paris via Doha. After his release, Sobhraj told news agency AFP that "I feel great... I have a lot to do. I have to sue a lot of people. Including the state of Nepal."

Nepal's Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered his release from prison, citing his age. He was expected to be out of jail on Thursday, but pre-release procedures have caused delays. Sobhraj has been held in a high-security prison in Nepal since 2003, when he was arrested on charges of murdering U.S. backpacker Connie Jo Bronzich in 1975, and has served 19 years out of a 20-year sentence.