Kathmandu: Charles Sobhraj, a convicted killer who police say is responsible for a string of murders in the 1970s and 1980s, was freed from prison in Nepal on Friday after nearly 20 years behind bars, according to a Reuters witness.

Sobhraj, 78, a French national, is suspected of killing more than 20 Western backpackers on the "hippie trail" through Asia, usually by drugging their food or drink in the course of robbing them.

Nepal's Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered his release from prison, where he has served 19 years out of a 20-year sentence, citing his age.

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