Charles Sobhraj shares thoughts on first days in Paris, flight from Kathmandu, and future plans – wants to Sue Nepal, Netflix, and BBC

137

Charles Sobhraj, the infamous serial killer and con artist who spent the majority of his life behind bars, recently returned to Paris after serving a long jail sentence in Nepal. In an interview with an independent journalist, Sobhraj shared his thoughts on his first days in Paris, his experience on the 14-hour flight from Kathmandu, and his plans for the future.

When asked about his first day in Paris, Sobhraj said: “In the last 48 hours, I slept only for two hours. I was so busy getting a new phone and a new sim. And then got into a conversation with my publisher over the title of my upcoming memoir which may be ‘I The Serpent’ but I do not agree with it. So, this may change.” Sobhraj went on to explain that his European publisher has formed a consortium with German, French, Italian, and Dutch partners to handle the rights to his memoir.

During the flight from Kathmandu, Sobhraj said: “I was so glad that I got out of that place alive. Till the last moment there was a question mark on my mind. Only when I got into the plane, I felt safe. Then my mind relaxed. There were three attempts on my life while I was inside the jail in Nepal. I was poisoned thrice. They thought I would die inside.” Sobhraj insisted that he is innocent in the Nepal cases and plans to prove it. He also mentioned that he was in a jail in Athens, Greece from January to July 1975, and has recorded documents to prove his whereabouts at the time of the alleged crimes in Nepal.

Sobhraj was asked about the biggest lessons he learned while in jail, to which he responded: “This is a bit of a philosophical question. My philosophy is, at every stage of your life, you have to learn more and more. The thirst for learning and knowledge has to increase. Even at this advanced age, it is even more important for me to learn more because I do not have enough time.”

When asked about his past, Sobhraj said: “It is again a metaphysical question. If you look at your past like ‘that’ you will block yourself from going forward. You have to fight even though you cannot forget the past. You cannot ruminate over it nor meditate on it.” He added: “For instance, I move on and I am planning to sue those I feel have wronged me. Like the state of Nepal, Netflix and BBC.”

When asked about his immediate plans now that he is free, Sobhraj said: “Since the time I landed from Nepal, I barely had time to rest. I have been in discussions with my publisher and producers about my upcoming book. I wrote it in prison and I am the co-author of it. I am also going to be involved in various projects.” He added that he has “two books in the pipeline” that are not related to his life and that he is currently working on research for these future projects.