Who is Inspector Zende? Supercop who caught Charles Sobhraj twice

Manoj Bajpayee has returned to digital screens with Netflix's movie, Inspector Zende. Written and directed by Chinmay Mandlekar, the movie is inspired by the real life of Inspector Madhukar Zende, the Mumbai police officer, who not once, but twice, captured the criminal Charles Sobhraj.

Loosely inspired by the true story, the movie focuses on the life of a police officer and how he captured Sobhraj. The way the cop and thief game is presented in the movie it’s the most comic way one can imagine. However, in real life, it must be tough. In the movie, a little tweaking has been done, such as the name of French killer Charles Sobhraj being changed to Carl Bhojraj, the sociopath who had committed several murders and was on the run from Tihar Jail, New Delhi.

As mentioned in the disclaimer of the movie, certain cinematic liberties have been taken to dramatise historical and true events. For those who are not aware of the history, here we have brought you the details of the real-life Zende.

Charles Sobhraj’s infamous jailbreak

Charles Sobhraj, a serial killer, is famous for his notorious ways of sneaking out of prison. Over the years, he has been the subject of several popular shows and documentaries, but the most recent one is Inspector Zende, which does not focus on the killer but on the cop who smartly arrested him.

While Zende arrested Sobhraj twice, this movie focuses on the second encounter, after he, along with six other prisoners, escaped from Delhi's Tihar Jail by drugging the entire jail staff. It was one of the most infamous jailbreaks in India's history.

Who was Inspector Zende, and when did he arrest Charles Sobhraj?

The Netflix film is inspired by the real-life story of Madhukar Bapurao Zende, the inspector whose wit and sharp mind famously caught this killer twice. The Mumbai-based cop had a happy family life, and at the same time, he was truly dedicated to his job. In his decades-long career, he became famously known for capturing Sobhraj, who was clever enough to slip away from under the nose of the police.

The man, who had run from the country, was captured by Zende, not once, but twice. This is what made the police inspector, one of the special ones. His popularity rose to the extent that once, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi stopped his car as he wished to meet him.

When did Zende meet Charles Sobhraj for the first time?

In 1971, the first arrest happened when Zende nabbed Sobhraj in Mumbai when he was planning a robbery. A tip-off from an informer helped him catch the criminal at the Taj Hotel, where he was found carrying a revolver.

Speaking to the YouTube channel, Awaara Musafir, Zende shared: “One of the criminals I helped in the past tipped me off about Charles Sobhraj. He had joined his gang. But after seeing guns and revolvers, he got scared and came running to me,” he shared, via Indian Express.

Describing Charles, Zende said he was a “rough fellow” who didn’t care about the police. The first arrest after Zende got a tip from the thief, who was going to help the criminal.

Zende and Charles’ second encounter in Goa

In 1986, Sobhraj cleverly escaped from Delhi's Tihar Jail by drugging officers with sweets. After news of Charles’ escape broke, Zende was handed the case to find him. And so he did. The inspector, along with his small team of cops and a limited budget, was sent to Goa, where they caught Sobhraj in a cafe that he used to visit to call his wife, who was in the USA.

After decades of service, Inspector Zende retired in 1996 as an Assistant Commissioner of Police. He was the first recipient of the President's Medal.