Serial killer Charles Sobhraj became more famous than he deserved.
There is even a British series about him that was released on Netflix in 2021.
Now "the snake" is to be released from prison in Nepal after 19 years.
He had murdered a number of tourists in the 1970s.
The 78-year-old Frenchman has been in prison in Nepal since 2003 for the 1975 killing of two tourists in Kathmandu.
He is now to be deported to France within 15 days.
Till Fähnders
Political correspondent for Southeast Asia.
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The serial killer's victims were mostly western backpackers traveling the "hippie trail" in India and Thailand.
Before his imprisonment in Nepal, he had already been imprisoned in India for 20 years.
The Supreme Court of the South Asian country had ruled that he should be released because of his age, good behavior and necessary medical treatment.
Nepal's laws allow for the release of elderly prisoners when they have served three-fourths of their sentence.
He remained undiscovered for a long time
The "Bikini Killer" is linked to more than 20 murders between 1972 and 1982.
He had drugged, abused, robbed and murdered his victims.
With the help of disguises and the passports of his male victims, he managed to remain undetected on his travels.
With his agility and ability to deceive, which had earned him the nickname "Snake", he had also managed to temporarily escape from Indian prison.
There he had administered drugs to prison guards in a birthday cake.
After his release in India, he lived in France.
From there he traveled to Nepal, where he was discovered by a journalist in a casino and prosecuted for the murder of two North American tourists.