Nepal deports Charles Sobhraj to France

Kathmandu: Nepal government on Friday evening deported serial killer Charles Sobhraj to France after his release from jail and obtaining the necessary immigration clearance.

Sobhraj (78), also known as ‘Bikini Killer’ and ‘The Serpent’, was freed from jail on Friday afternoon as per the order of the Supreme Court of Nepal.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ordered the release of Sobhraj for different reasons. Huge security deployment was ensured at the time of his deportation at the Tribhuvan International Airport here on Friday evening. He was deported on the condition of not returning to Nepal for another 10 years, said Nepal’s Department of Immigration.

The government had issued a travel document ahead of his deportation as he lacks a valid passport. Sobhraj left on a regular Qatar Airlines flight, and will reach Paris after a stopover in Doha.

Hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Sobhraj, a joint bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Til Prasad Shrestha had ordered his release on Wednesday, stating that he need not be jailed for another case, adding that arrangements be made to return the French citizen back to his country within 15 days.

Sobhraj spent 19 years and two months in the central jail in Kathmandu. Though he was supposed to be released on Thursday, due to some internal process, including documentation and others at the immigration department, his release was only possible on Friday afternoon, according to officials.