TV drama The Serpent is based on the true story of serial killer Charles Sobhraj. The series tells the story of his crimes, those who helped him commit them and the people who sought to have him caught. Most of the characters portrayed in the series are based on real people, a lot who have very different lives now. *Contains spoilers for The Serpent* via BBC Charles Sobhraj is French thief and murderer who preyed on young tourists backpacking in India, Nepal and Thailand, killing them and stealing from them. He went by name of Alain Gautier in Thailand, and often stole identities of his victims to avoid trace and make it look as though they had left the country they died in. The true number of his victims is unknown and his crimes spanned between 1963 and 1976, across 13 years. From 1974 to 1975, he killed 12 people, while the total number of his victims is thought to be at least 30.