Netflix's new show 'The Serpent' inspired by a serial killer's true story

Netflix’s new series The Serpent is based on the true story of serial killer Charles Sobhraj. It is an eight-part series that was released on Netflix on April 2. The co-producer of the series Paul Tester told a media outlet that it was a challenge to tell a true story and that there was a long development period of the series. The show focuses on Charles Sobhraj’s crimes and arrest in 1976 which was led by a Dutch diplomat, Herman Knippenberg. The series has received a very good response from the audience and critics alike.

The real story of Charles Sobhraj

Charles Sobhraj was best known by the name "Bikini killer" due to the attire of some of his victims. He was a French killer who killed foreign tourists and along with his girlfriend Marie Andree Leclerc, he travelled the world with the help of the deceased’s passports. They also robbed the people they murdered and sold the gems they obtained from the corpse. He mainly robbed and murdered tourists on the ‘Hippie Trail’ and the countries where he mainly functioned were Thailand, India, and Nepal. He also took the help of a man called Ajay Chowdhury to commit the murders.

Charles Sobhraj's arrest was possible due to Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg, who got suspicious of the disappearance of Dutch tourists and started investigating the cases. Charles was arrested in Thailand and later he was arrested again in India but he escaped after some time. His escapes and arrests continued for quite some time. He has been serving his punishment in jail in Nepal at present. Marie died of cancer in 1983 and Ajay Chowdhury was never caught. 

The Serpent is produced by the UK-based production company Mammoth Screen and it has been commissioned by BBC. In the series, the role of Charles Sobhraj has been essayed by Tahar Rahim, while his girlfriend Marie Andree Leclerc has been played by English actress Jenna Coleman. Charles Sobhraj’s partner Ajay Chowdhury’s character was played by Amesh Edireweera and actor Billy Howle was seen as Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg.

Image courtesy: Netflix's Youtube channel