Charles Sobhraj, a French serial murderer who committed several killings in Asia in the 1970s, arrived in France on Saturday after spending nearly 20 years in a Nepalese jail.
On Wednesday, Nepal's highest court decided that he should be released for medical reasons and deported to France within 15 days.
He was freed on Friday and placed on a flight from Kathmandu to Paris through Doha. He claimed to an AFP journalist that he was "innocent" as they were en route to Doha.
The "The Serpent" television series, which was co-produced by Netflix and the BBC, detailed Sobhraj's life.
He would befriend his victims, many of whom were Western hikers traveling on the hippy path in the 1970s, while posing as a gem merchant before drugging, stealing, and killing them.
"I feel fantastic. I've got a lot to do. I have to file many lawsuits. Included in this are the states of "On Friday inside the aircraft, Sobhraj spoke to AFP.
The 78-year-old said, "Absolutely, yes," when asked whether he believed that his status as a serial murderer had been mischaracterized.
An AFP reporter confirmed that he arrived in the French capital on Saturday morning.
He was whisked away by border police upon arriving in Paris, according to an airport source, for additional "identification checks."
The source at the airport claimed that he was "not wanted" by the French authorities and that when all the checks were completed, he would be allowed to depart the airport.
The "Bikini Killer"
Sobhraj, who was born in Saigon to an Indian father and a Vietnamese mother who subsequently wed a Frenchman, began a worldwide life of crime and, in 1975, found himself in Thailand.
He was accused of killing a young American woman whose body was discovered on a beach wearing a bikini. He was classy and suave.
Sobhraj, known as the "bikini murderer," was finally implicated in more than 20 homicides.
He was detained in India in 1976 and ultimately served 21 years in a U.S. prison, escaping after drugging the guards in 1986. In Goa, he was caught again.
After being freed in 1997, Sobhraj stayed in Paris and gave media paid interviews until returning to Nepal in 2003.
- 'Karma' -
One of the founders of the Himalayan Times newspaper, writer Joseph Nathan, saw him playing baccarat at a casino and had him arrested.
"He seemed innocent. The fact that I recognized him was pure luck "Nathan said on Thursday to AFP.
'I believe that was karma,'
Sobhraj was given a life sentence by a Nepali court the following year for the 1975 murder of American tourist Connie Jo Bronzich. He was also convicted guilty of murdering Bronzich's Canadian partner ten years later.
Speaking to AFP Friday amidst puzzled passengers on Qatar Airways, Sobhraj said he was not responsible for the atrocities in Nepal.
He claimed that all of the judges in Nepal's courts—from the district court to the high court to the supreme court—were prejudiced against Charles Sobhraj.
"In those situations, I'm innocent, okay? I don't have to feel good or terrible about it, then. I'm not guilty. It was founded using forged documents "Added he.
Thai police woman Sompol Suthimai had lobbied for Sobhraj to be extradited to Thailand and prosecuted for murders there. Her work with Interpol had been crucial in achieving the 1976 arrest.
However, Sompol told AFP on Thursday that he had no objections to the release because both he and the criminal he had been pursuing were now too elderly.
Sompol, 90, declared, "I don't have any sentiments against him now because it's been so long.
"I believe he has already atoned for his wrongdoing,"