Charles Sobraj

Charles Sobhraj (born 6 April 1944), also known as the Bikini Killer, is a French serial killer of Vietnamese and Indian origin, who preyed on Western tourists throughout Southeast Asia during the 1970s. Nicknamed The Splitting Killer and The Serpent, due to his skill at deception and evasion, Sobhraj allegedly committed at least a dozen murders. He was convicted and jailed in India from 1976 to 1997. After his release, he retired as a celebrity in Paris. He returned to Nepal and was arrested and tried there. Sobhraj received a sentence of life imprisonment.

Sobhraj is widely believed to be a psychopath. He was driven to murder as a means to sustain his adventurous lifestyle. This, as well as his cunning and cultured personality, made him a celebrity long before his release from prison. He enjoyed the attention, charging large amounts of money for interviews and film rights. He has been the subject of four books and three documentaries. Sobhraj's return to India, where he was still eagerly sought by authorities, is believed to be the result of his yearning for attention and overconfidence in his own intellect.

Sobhraj was born as Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh Charles Sobhraj to a Vietnamese mother and an Indian Sindhi father in Saigon, Vietnam. His parents were unmarried and his father later deserted the family. Stateless at first, Sobhraj was adopted by his mother's new boyfriend, a French Army lieutenant stationed in Indochina. However, he was neglected in favour of the couple's later children. Sobhraj continued to move back and forth between France and Indochina with the family. As a teenager, Sobhraj began to commit petty crimes. Sobhraj received his first jail sentence (for burglary) in 1963, serving at Poissy prison near Paris. Sobhraj manipulated prison officials into granting him special favors, like being allowed to keep books in his cell, etc. At around the same time, he met and endeared himself to Felix d'Escogne, a wealthy young man and prison volunteer.