Netflix’s latest crime drama The Serpent brings to viewers the real-life story of a serial killer Charles Sobhraj. It is believed that Sobhraj committed at least 12 murders in his lifetime and was convicted and jailed in India from 1976 to 1997.
Charles Sobhraj was apparently never alone when he committed these crimes. He was accompanied by his ex-girlfriend Marie-Andree Leclerc and Ajay Chowdhury, his right-hand man who helped him get rid of the dead bodies and threaten his victims.
The character of Ajay Chowdhury has been played brilliantly by actor Amesh Edireweera in The Serpent.
In the 6th episode of the show, we see Ajay for the last time when Sobhraj tells him:
It’s time for you to make your own way in the world.
Like everyone else, if you too are wondering where he is now, read on.
Ajay’s disappearance was somewhat similar to what is shown in the series. According to a report by Entertainment Daily, in real life Ajay was sent on an errand to collect gems from a mining town in Malaysia in 1976. When he returned, he and Charles went into a jungle together but only Charles returned.
Now there are several theories on Ajay’s whereabouts.
Some believe that Sobhraj murdered his accomplice. Sobhraj who was eventually apprehended for his crimes has still never admitted to killing Ajay.
Also, his dead body was never found.
The Interpol file on Ajay remains open to this day, and according to BBC One drama The Serpent, Ajay was last spotted in Frankfurt in Germany in late 1976.
So there’s a possibility that he might still be alive. But no one knows.
There are no direct accounts of him either. What we know is from the evidences and police reports and people talking about him. Ajay Chowdhury belonged to an Indian family. He met Charles in Thailand and the two became inseparable. He assisted Sobhraj in gruesome killings and while Sobhraj and his girlfriend Marie-Andree Leclerc were arrested in 1976, Ajay’s whereabouts remain a mystery even after decades.