Kriti Mehrotra
Inspired by real-life events, ‘The Serpent‘ is a crime drama series focusing on the hunt for Charles Sobhraj, who, just a few decades ago, was one of Asia’s most wanted criminals. The French thief, conman, and murderer, along with his accomplices, used to befriend, drug, and then kill young travelers along the Hippie Trail in Southeast Asia in the mid-1970s. Despite being arrested before, he wasn’t apprehended for good until 2003. With this eight-part production also highlighting all aspects of Charles’ personal life, though, we bet that you’re curious to know who he’s in a relationship with today, right? Well, we’ve got the details for you.
Who is Charles Sobhraj’s Wife?
Years after Charles Sobhraj and his first wife, Chantal Compagnon (renamed in the show as Juliette Voclain), separated, he found a partner in Nepalese native Nihita Biswas. In 2008, when Charles was already behind bars, Nihita walked into prison after a mutual friend revealed that he was looking for an interpreter for his lawyer. And although the lawyer had left by the time the then-20-year-old arrived, she made such an impression that Charles fell in love at first sight. As per an interview Nihita gave to the Times of India, he then started finding ways to spend time with her.
“[Charles] pretended to have another assignment for me,” Nihita said. “He gave me a huge shopping list. It was mostly canned stuff.” Thus, their romance began. Despite being surrounded by correctional officers and not getting alone time together, the couple established an unbreakable bond. So, within three months, they got engaged. Nihita, who is 44 years younger than Charles, said that conversations with him are easy.
All she has to do, she said, is look into his eyes and read his lips to know what he really means. The couple married in October 2008 inside Central Jail. Having said that, we should mention that Nepalese officials have since stated that no wedding ceremony was held between the two individuals, attributing the celebration in jail to a local festival. Yet, to this day, the pair are still said to be together.
Where is Nihita Biswas Now?
At the time of their engagement, Charles boasted that he’d take Nihita to Paris, France, and buy them the most luxurious engagement and wedding rings as soon as he’s out of prison. Obviously, that hasn’t happened yet. But it doesn’t seem like Nihita has given up hope of her husband getting acquitted one day, especially with her mother, Shakuntala Thapa, also acting as his lawyer. “I don’t know what he was,” Nihita once said. “What he is now is important. He is a good man, I have seen the way he cares for his family. We have a good relationship.”
She also added that she thinks he’s innocent as there’s no evidence against him. While Nihita usually keeps out of the limelight, in 2011, she did appear on India’s version of ‘Big Brother,’ ‘Bigg Boss,’ saying that she’s proud to have Charles Sobhraj as her husband. She was the first contestant voted out. Charles’ wife and mother-in-law both admit that he is notorious, but only for his skills at escaping prisons, not murder. From what we can tell, Nihita currently resides in Lalitpur, Nepal.
