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Manoj Bajpayee’s Inspector Zende, is a lose account of how Charles Sobhraj was caught. Ahead of the release, real life Zende recounted details about the hunt for the bikini killer.
Manoj Bajpayee’s Inspector Zende releases today.
Before the age of CCTV and advanced cyber forensics, Mumbai relied on sharp-witted cops like Inspector Madhukar Zende – a street-smart, instinct-driven officer who cracked near-impossible cases with sheer grit. Loosely inspired by how Zende caught Charles Sobhraj, Netflix’s upcoming film, Inspector Zende, stars Manoj Bajpayee in the lead role. Ahead of the film’s release, the real life Zende recalled how he caught the wanted criminal.
Zende Arrests Charles Sobhraj For The First Time
“Charles was a very rough fellow. He didn’t care about the police at all. He came (to Mumbai) with five men for a robbery,” Zende said on the Awaara Musafir YouTube channel. This incident took place in 1971 when Sobhraj was already a wanted man. “He was staying at Taj, and he had kept all his associates at different hotels,” Zende recalled.
“We kept watch outside Taj for a few days, and spotted him wearing a suit. I grabbed him, and found out that he was armed. We took him to the station and found hotel receipts on his person. We sent teams to all those hotels, and found multiple rifles and weapons. He was planning something big,” Zende said, talking about the first time he arrested Sobhraj.
Zende Arrests Charles Sobhraj Again
However, Sobhraj was notorious for escaping prisons by using his charm and influence, and Tihar was no exception. Years later, in 1986, Sobhraj was caught once again. This time in Goa. Zende recalled in a conversation with Manoj Bajpayee, “So I got a tip which said that he was in Goa, trying to switch from a smaller boat to a bigger cruise. His wife was in America and he was trying to contact her. So we got a number, it was his motorcycle number. With that number, I went to Goa.”
Zende said, “There were pilot taxis there, so I went around saying, ‘My brother has run off with my vehicle,’ and then a 16-year-old boy told me, ‘You are very cunning.’ I asked him what he meant. He said, ‘That car is new, peacock-coloured, the chain covers haven’t even been fitted yet. And the man driving it is European, he is fair. You are dark-skinned. How can he be your brother?’ Then I was sure that he must have been here.”
He said on the Awaara Musafir YouTube channel, that he waited for for the criminal at a cafe, eating prawns and chicken curry, and Sobhraj did show up. He added, “I knew that he was always armed, and I knew that he would open fire if he recognised me as the same man who’d arrested him once before.” Zende then requested backup and said that he had Sobhraj cornered.
He recalled, “I went and grabbed him, and shouted very loudly, ‘Charles’! My colleague grabbed his bag and unloaded his revolver. But we didn’t have any handcuffs. So we asked the cafe staff to give us any ropes that they might have, and we used them to tie him up. He was a black belt, we didn’t know what he could do. Then we stuffed him into our car.”
Rajiv Gandhi Stopped His Car To Meet Inspector Zende
Some believed that Sobhraj delibrately got caught to avoid being arrested by the Interpol. However, Zende became famous for arresting Sobhraj twice. He was lauded by many all across the country. He told Manoj Bajpayee, “I was standing at the Borivali junction for security arrangements, so when he (Rajiv Gandhi) saw [me], he told his driver to stop the car. ‘I want to meet him,’ [he said]. The security officer told him, ‘Sir, not here.’ But then everyone knows that once even the Prime Minister had stopped his car to meet Zende. The next day, he called me and congratulated me; it was his goodness.”
Manoj Bajpayee’s Inspector Zende
Meanwhile, anticipation builds for Manoj Bajpayee’s film. In the film, Manoj Bajpayee steps into the shoes of the legendary Mumbai cop, with Jim Sarbh playing the role of antagonist in what promises to be a clash of minds with a comedic twist. But this isn’t your typical procedural drama. The film blends gritty tension with sharp humour, making it as entertaining as it is intense.
Directed by Chinmay Mandlekar, the film features a powerful ensemble, including Marathi film industry stars like Sachin Khedekar, Bhalchandra Kadam, Girija Oak, Onkar Raut, and Harish Dudhade, among others. Inspector Zende will debut on Netflix on September 5.
Kashvi Raj Singh is a Sub Editor at News18. She extensively covers Bollywood, Hollywood and television. She not only keeps an eye out for interesting news angles but also often writes social commentary in long-…Read More
Kashvi Raj Singh is a Sub Editor at News18. She extensively covers Bollywood, Hollywood and television. She not only keeps an eye out for interesting news angles but also often writes social commentary in long-… Read More
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September 05, 2025, 09:09 IST
