The Serpent: Who were the real life victims of Charles Sobhraj? Nine names are known but it's thought there could be many more... Feb 7, 2021 Many of us have been gripped by the BBC drama, The Serpent, launched at the beginning of the year. The series concludes on BBC One this Sunday (14 February) and reflects a dramatised version of the true killings carried out by Charles Sobhraj (born Hotchand Bhawnani Gurmukh Sobhraj, who later styled himself as a gem seller named Alain Gautier). The multiple murders took place during the 1970s along the Hippie Trail in Southeast Asia, earning Sobhraj the nickname The Serpent, due to his cunning ways of evading of the authorities..