Once dubbed The Serpent for his slippery escapes and chilling charm, Charles Sobhraj carved a dark legacy across Europe and Asia in the 1970s. The French national, born to Indian and Vietnamese parents, became known globally as The Bikini Killer. After spending decades behind bars, Charles was released from prison in 2022.
The man who once haunted international headlines is now being adapted for his notorious crimes in movies and shows. Cunning and manipulative, Charles was once the master of deception and seamlessly lured his victims to the will. Cases across Europe and Asia thrived with his name behind the crimes.
Like most serial killers Charles too had a pattern. He targeted young Western tourists, often backpackers, who travelled along the "Hippie Trail" through South and Southeast Asia in the 1970s. He focused on women with a particular stride, following them for days until he could identify them. The striking commonalities were being young and who travelled from Europe, North America, and Australia and were mostly alone or were hitchhikers.
His targets were found travelling in countries like Thailand, Nepal, India, and Indonesia, places that many Western travellers found exotic and alluring. Women from the West were drawn to the rich cultures and vibrant environments, which offered a sense of freedom, especially given the relatively limited law enforcement in many tourist areas.
The free-spirited adventurers travelled to these countries seeking spiritual peace and a deep sense of relaxation. Charles was drawn to these kinds of women, young, carefree, and often soaking up the sun during their exotic vacations. As they embraced the freedom of their travels, he carefully selected his targets. Most of his victims were young women, frequently seen wearing bikinis, which ultimately led to him being infamously dubbed the Bikini Killer.
Charles Sobhraj’s first known victim was Teresa Knowlton, an 18-year-old American from Seattle. In 1975, her body was discovered in a tidal pool in the Gulf of Thailand, wearing a floral bikini. Initially believed to be a swimming accident, a later autopsy revealed that she had been drugged and drowned, marking the first of many murders attributed to Sobhraj.
Next came the Turkish traveller Vitali Hakim, whose burned body was found near Pattaya, Thailand and other Dutch students Henk Bintanja and Cornelia Hemker were also murdered after meeting Charles in Hong Kong.
Following this notorious killer, several movies and shows have documented the chilling brutality of his crimes. The Netflix mini-series The Serpent (2021) delves into the true events surrounding Charles Sobhraj’s murderous spree. Earlier, the Australian mini-series Shadow of the Cobra (1989) also dramatised his story. More recently, the films and series like Black Warrant and Inspector Zende has explored an adaptation inspired by the serial killer’s case.
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