KATHMANDU: Charles Sobhraj, a notorious French serial killer who had been serving a life sentence in Nepal since 2003 for the murder of two North American tourists, has been set free, according to Nepali officials.

Sobhraj, 78, was released from the Central Jail in Kathmandu on Friday, two days after the country's Supreme Court ordered his release a year prior to the completion of his jail term.

"He has been handed over to immigration authorities and will remain under their supervision until his deportation," jail official Ishwari Prasad Pandey told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

The Supreme Court had cited Sobhraj's advanced age, good behaviour and failing health in its decision, court spokesperson Bimal Paudel said.

The Supreme Court has said that Sobhraj will have to leave Nepal within 15 days.

Kamal Prasad Pandey, an Immigration Department spokesperson, said that Sobhraj will be deported as soon as his office receives all required documents and air tickets. He didn't specify when and to which country Sobhraj was being deported. "We will decide where to deport him after going through the documents," he added.

Sobhraj will be barred from entering Nepal again.

Nicknamed the Bikini Killer for targetting young women - and The Serpent for his deceptive nature and track record for escaping from high security prisons - Sobhraj's life has inspired several books and movies, including the BBC drama 'The Serpent'.

Sobhraj has been linked to several high profile killings across Asia in the 1970s and 1980s. Before his arrest in Nepal in 2003, he had spent around two decades in jail in India.

-- BERNAMA