‘The Serpent’ serial killer makes chilling claim after being asked if people should be scared of him

Even though he's now hit the ripe old age of 79, I still wouldn't fancy bumping into 'The Serpent' down a dark alley.

If you're one of the few people who didn't tune into the BBC drama of the same name, you might be blissfully unaware of who serial killer Charles Sobhraj is - but those who did know just how dangerous he can be.

Even if you did watch The Serpent, you might struggle to spot the master criminal in a crowd as he's decided to wear disguises to help him blend in among the public.

And his camouflage - consisting of a wig and spectacles - seemed to work, as Sobhraj successfully completed some sightseeing around central London without rousing any suspicions.

There's a chilling irony that he looked exactly like a typical tourist though, as the killer used to target trusting backpackers who were travelling through Asia during the 1970s and 1980s.

Sobhraj effortlessly befriended unsuspecting holidaymakers, often posing as a gem salesman or drug dealer to woo his victims, before drugging them, taking their money and murdering them.

After getting in trouble with the police in France, he and his wife Chantal Compagnon travelled to Asia in 1970 and began robbing tourists along the 'hippie trail'.

Channel 4

But after Sobhraj was arrested following a botched robbery, Compagnon turned her back on their life of crime and moved back to France with their daughter, Usha.

Escaping from prison, Sobhraj went on the run with various stolen passports and eventually met his lover Marie-Andrée Leclerc, a Canadian tourist, and Ajay Chowdhury, an crook from India, in Thailand.

This treacherous trio then embarked on a sickening killing spree across Asia, before police finally caught up with them.

Sobhraj was released from prison in Nepal in 2022, after serving nearly two decades behind bars for the murders of two tourists, although it is believed he committed dozens more slayings but was never charged.

He had previously spent 20 years locked up in India for the poisoning of Luc Salomon in 1976, but has now been bragging about his elusiveness from the law in a new Channel 4 documentary, The Real Serpent: Investigating a Serial Killer.

DEV ENDRA M SINGH/AFP via Getty Images

While filming the show, which kicks off on Tuesday at 9pm, Sobhraj bragged to the cameraman: "I was like a shadow."

So you can understand how his snake-like ability to avoid detection by authorities earned him his scary nickname.

The new Channel 4 series will delve into the serial killer's life since his release from prison and deep into the mind of a prolific murderer - who has been waltzing around Westminster Bridge without a care in the world.

The French robber and killer, who was born Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh Charles Sobhraj, offered up quite the chilling response when the documentary makers asked whether Brits should be scared of him.

He responded: "I will say they are free [to have] their feelings and thoughts. What I am doing in this programme is without financial benefits.

"I am fed up of all these allegations so I'm going to put forward my facts and let the people decide. You are the victim of brainwashing by the media."

That really helps us sleep easy at night. Not.