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Charles Sobhraj “The Serpent” Evaded Justice For Decades After Killing Tourists Across Asia
Police believe he murdered at least 20 tourists along Asia’s famous Hippie Trail, but today, Charles Sobhraj is free in France.
To learn the full story, read my article on All That’s Interesting.
Heis known as “The Serpent” and the “Bikini Killer.” In the 1970s, he preyed on unsuspecting tourists and backpackers traveling the Hippie Trail, which stretched from Europe to Southeast Asia.
Charles Sobhraj charmed them, drugged them, and robbed them. Then he began killing them.
He moved across borders without being detected, leaving a trail of bodies from India to Thailand. By the time authorities caught up with him, he was linked to at least 20 murders.
One of his earliest known victims was Teresa Knowlton, an American whose body was found in a tidal pool in Pattaya in 1975. She had been drugged, drowned, and discovered wearing only a bikini.
Not long after, Vitali Hakim was found burned along a roadside near Sobhraj’s gem stall. Hakim’s girlfriend came searching. She too ended up dead, wearing a bikini.
