Netflix’s Inspector Zende and the Real Story of the Bikini Killer
When you hear the name “Charles Sobhraj,” it immediately brings to mind one of the most chilling chapters in global crime history. Known as The Serpent for his ability to escape authorities and later infamous as the Bikini Killer , Sobhraj terrorized Asia in the 1970s and 1980s. Netflix’s new film Inspector Zende takes us back into that dark world, but with a refreshing focus—not just on the criminal, but on the man who brought him down, Inspector Madhukar Zende.
Charles Sobhraj was born in 1944 in Saigon, and by the early 1960s, his life of crime was already in motion. He drifted across countries, committing theft, fraud, and eventually far more sinister acts—drugging, robbing, and killing unsuspecting Western tourists traveling along the Hippie Trail in Asia. Although linked to over 20 murders, he was formally convicted of only a few. His cunning, charm, and repeated escapes from custody made him both feared and oddly fascinating.
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That’s where Madhukar Zende entered the picture. In 1971, while posted in Mumbai, Zende received a crucial tip about Sobhraj’s planned robbery. The investigation led to his first arrest of the fugitive at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Yet Sobhraj, always the escape artist, later slipped away during a hospital stay, taking advantage of wartime blackouts. His escapes became as legendary as his crimes.
By 1976, he was back behind bars in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, convicted of murder. But even prison did not restrain him—he bribed guards, lived in comfort, and in 1986, orchestrated a surreal escape by drugging jail staff with sweets laced with sedatives. This was classic Sobhraj—bold, manipulative, and convinced he could outwit anyone.
Once again, Zende was assigned to track him. This time, the trail led to Goa. Patiently, disguised as a tourist, Zende observed Sobhraj’s movements around a local restaurant, O’Coqueiro. And then came the legendary moment—on April 6, 1986, Zende spotted him. With calm confidence, he walked up and simply said, “Hello, Charles. How are you?” The fugitive tried to resist but was swiftly overpowered. That capture cemented Zende’s reputation as one of India’s sharpest police officers.
The Netflix film, with Manoj Bajpayee portraying Zende and Jim Sarbh as the fictionalized fugitive Carl Bhojraj, dramatizes these cat-and-mouse chases. Unlike the darker tone of previous adaptations like The Serpent , this film embraces wit, energy, and even humor, shining a spotlight on the forgotten hero rather than glorifying the criminal.
In real life, Charles Sobhraj would go on to serve nearly 20 more years in a Nepali prison before being released in 2022 due to age and health concerns. Now in his eighties, he lives in France, a free man. Inspector Madhukar Zende, now retired and celebrated, continues to be remembered as the man who twice brought the “Bikini Killer” to justice.
So while Inspector Zende may entertain with its period style and clever storytelling, it also reminds us of the extraordinary patience, courage, and intuition that real police work required in an era without modern technology—when instinct and persistence were a cop’s sharpest weapons.
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