The story of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, portrayed in the BBC-Netflix drama The Serpent, is well-known. Now, a new Netflix film tells the lesser-known story of an Indian police officer who captured the notorious killer - not once, but twice.
Inspector Zende stars Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee in the titular role of the policeman while actor Jim Sarbh plays Sobhraj - reimagined as Carl Bhojraj. The film unfolds over three weeks in 1986 as the policeman and the criminal play a cat-and-mouse game.
Warning: Spoilers below for the Netflix film
It starts on 16 March that year with Sobhraj escaping from Delhi's high-security Tihar jail, where he had been serving a 12-year prison term since 1976 for murdering a French tourist. Falsely claiming it was his birthday, he feeds drug-laced sweets to the staff and nearly all the prisoners and flees.
A few days later, when he turns up in Mumbai, Inspector Madhukar Zende is called in since he had already arrested him in 1971. The film's release has brought Mr Zende - who has a cameo in the film as the 'OG', or the original Inspector Zende - back into the headlines in India, decades after he made the arrests.
The retired 88-year-old officer told the BBC that he had arrested many hardened criminals and members of Mumbai's underworld, but it was the notoriety of 'the international criminal Sobhraj' that earned him the reputation of 'a supercop'.
Born to an Indian father and a Vietnamese mother in Saigon, Sobhraj grew up in France where his mother moved after marrying a French soldier. He first hit the headlines in India in 1970 for an audacious heist at a jewellery store in Ashok, a five-star hotel in Delhi.
When Inspector Zende captured him a year later in Mumbai, the city papers described it as 'one more feather in Mumbai police's cap.' Sobhraj was handed over to the Delhi police who were handling the jewellery heist, but within days he had escaped by climbing down a bathroom pipe in a hospital where he had been admitted after he complained of appendix pain.
Over the next five years, Sobhraj became known as a notorious serial killer linked to more than 20 murders across India, Nepal, and Thailand, where the victims were drugged, strangled, beaten, or burned. His knack for deceptive disguises and ability to escape prison earned him the moniker of 'The Serpent,' a title later adapted into a hit BBC and Netflix series about the killer that was released in 2020.
An infamous label, 'the Bikini Killer,' also arose due to his tendency to target young Western women on the hippie trail in Asia. Interpol issued a Red Corner notice against him, with police in countless countries searching for him. His luck ran out in summer 1976 when Delhi police arrested him for drugging 40 French university students and attempting to rob them.
A court convicted Sobhraj for murdering a French tourist in a Mumbai hotel; he found himself sentenced to 12 years.
After escaping Tihar, Zende described how troubling he found the news. 'He was known for using sedatives and had given policemen the slip not only in Delhi but in several other cities worldwide. There was no reason for anyone to trust him,' he states.
Two weeks after Sobhraj's jailbreak, Mr. Zende was summoned by his boss and asked to hunt him down again, given Zende's previous success capturing the Bikini Killer.
The new Netflix film primarily recounts the story of Inspector Zende and his team’s travels to Goa on a mission to recapture Sobhraj. The assignment was exciting, not only due to the prospect of rearresting the criminal but also because it marked Zende's first flight and stay in a luxury hotel.
After combing the bars and beaches of Goa, Zende's team confirmed Sobhraj's presence at the O'Coqueiro restaurant - the only establishment that catered to affluent foreigners. Zende notes that they suspected Sobhraj intended to call his wife from there.
On 6 April, Zende’s team positioned themselves at the restaurant. When Sobhraj eventually strolled in during a lively hockey match, Zende recognized him immediately. The sensational arrest catapulted him to celebrity status, resulting in accolades from media, celebrities, and the federal home minister, along with the President's medal for bravery.
Even today, the biggest recognition comes from a signature dish dubbed the 'Zende platter' at the restaurant where he captured Sobhraj.
Returning to prison, Sobhraj served another decade, later claiming his escape aimed to get his sentence lengthened and to avoid extradition to Thailand, where he faced the death penalty for additional murders.
After a series of convictions and releases, Sobhraj is now a free man at 81. Zende reflects, 'He served his sentence; I’m not concerned about him anymore.'
