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She is a faithful wife who describes her husband as “a good man”, but the circumstances surrounding Nihita Biswas’ marriage to Charles Sobhraj couldn’t be more bizarre.
Sobhraj, now 79, preyed on Western tourists on the South Asian hippie trail in the 1970s and lured them to their deaths – with his snake while avoiding detection by authorities, earning him the nickname “Serpent”.
His crimes are examined in the final episode of the three-part drama, The Real Serpent: Investigating a Serial Killer, airing on Channel 4 tonight at 9pm.
He is believed to have murdered at least backpackers in India, Thailand and Nepal, and was initially jailed for a total of 29 years for two murders, spending a decade in a New Delhi prison before escaping.
The serial killer was later imprisoned for a further 19 years in Nepal and it was during this sentence that he met his lawyer’s daughter, Nihita, and fell in love at first sight despite an age gap of over 40 years old.
Here, Femail reveals the age couple’s relationship history and why Nihita stayed by the Serpent’s side, despite his horrific crimes.
Charles Sobhraj (right) and his wife Nihita Biswas (left) are guided by Nepalese police officers to a waiting vehicle after a court hearing in Kathmandu on May 31, 2011.
Charles Sobhraj, 79, spent ten years in a New Delhi prison after being convicted of a series of murders, before being imprisoned for 19 years in Nepal.
While serving his sentence in Nepal, Sobhraj was introduced to his lawyer’s daughter, Nihita Biswas (pictured), and the couple reportedly married (Photo: EPA)
Who is Nihita Biswas?
Nihita, in her thirties, was born in Nepal in 1988 to a businessman father of Bengali origin and Shakuntala Thapa, a Nepalese lawyer and human rights activist.
Nihita was educated at St Mary’s High School, Kathmandu and completed her law degree from Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal, according to DNA India.
She then made headlines in 2011 after becoming the first Nepali citizen to participate in the fifth season of India’s equivalent of Big Brother, Big Boss.
However, she was only able to survive a week and was the first contestant to be evicted, as reported India today.
Nihita Biswas, 35, was born in Nepal in 1988 to a businessman father of Bengali origin and Shakuntala Thapa, a Nepalese lawyer and human rights activist (Photo: Shutterstock)
How did Charles Sobhraj and Nihita Biswas meet?
Nihita’s mother, Shakuntala Thapa, represented Sobhaj during his trial in Nepal’s Supreme Court, but was unsuccessful in getting her client acquitted.
Sobhraj was sentenced to life – serving a minimum of 20 years – in prison in 2003 for the murders of two Americans and was held in a high-security prison in Kathmandu.
Nihita, who knows the French language well, was hired as an interpreter for Sobhraj’s French lawyer, and that is how she and Sobhraj first met.
Having quickly struck up a relationship, The Serpent married his second wife, Nihita. inside Kathmandu prison on October 9, 2008.
At the time, Sobhraj was 66 years old and reports put Nihita in her early 20s.
Although her mother and Sobhaj’s lawyer had left Nepal by the time Nihita first met Sobhraj, it is claimed that she made such an impression on him afterwards that he was making excuses to see her again.
Nihita said Times of India: “He pretended to have another mission for me. He gave me a huge shopping list. It was mostly canned goods.
Speaking about her decision to have a romantic relationship with a convicted serial killer, Nihita insisted that she believed he had always been innocent.
She said: “I don’t know what he was. What he is now is important. He’s a good man, I’ve seen the way he takes care of his family. We have a good relationship.
“He is innocent,” Nihita added, “There is no evidence against him.”
For his part, Charles Sobhraj, in a 2008 interview, said it was love at first sight for both of them, according to Times of India.
It is currently unclear whether Biswas (left) would join her husband Sobhraj (right) in France after his release from prison in December 2022 (Photo: Getty Images)
Are Charles Sobhraj and Nihita Biswas still married?
The killer was first seen publicly with Biswas in 2017, after he was taken from his cell to Kathmandu hospital with the help of his wife for a life-saving coronary operation.
In December 2002, Sobhraj left Nepal by plane from Kathmandu to France after serving 19 years of his 20-year-to-life prison sentence.
Biswas was photographed on the phone on the day of her release walking outside the immigration department as Sobhraj was taken inside, but her whereabouts were unknown as her husband boarded the plane.
Sobhraj, who was released from prison early due to his heart problems, is now expected to undergo medical treatment in France, which could involve open heart surgery.
A source close to Sobhraj in Nepal said: “His wife said he may need further surgery and will be closely monitored by doctors after he lands. »
According to Times of IndiaSobhraj and his wife had planned to celebrate their wedding after his release, and the two planned to write a book about how they “found love in the most daunting of circumstances.”