Surinder Koli, acquitted in all Nithari killings cases, died by suicide in Haridwar
Koli was arrested in 2006 after skeletal remains of children and young women were recovered from drains and the area behind businessman Moninder Singh Pandher ’s house in Nithari, Noida. The CBI took over the investigation on January 11, 2007, after the recovery of more remains and allegations of lapses in the initial police probe.
Police said the death appeared prima facie to be a suicide. Koli was working as a domestic help at Pandher’s house at the time. A forensic team examined the scene, while post-mortem and panchanama proceedings were initiated. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
Final case also falls apart
NEW DELHI: Surinder Koli , once sentenced to death in multiple cases arising from the 2006 Nithari killings, died in Haridwar on Friday, less than a year after the Supreme Court acquitted him in the last case against him. His death marks the end of a nearly two-decade legal journey that saw him go from being the sole convict in the killings to being acquitted in all 13 cases linked to the episode, news agency PTI reported. In February 2009, a Ghaziabad court convicted Koli and Pandher in the first Nithari case involving the murder of 14-year-old Rimpa Haldar. He was awarded the death penalty in the second case in May 2010 and in three more cases between 2010 and 2012, PTI reported. By January 2021, Koli had been awarded the death penalty in the 12th Nithari case, while Pandher was acquitted in that case. Koli was also acquitted in a separate case related to destruction of evidence in March 2021. The legal picture, however, began to change dramatically in 2023. On October 16, 2023, the Allahabad high court acquitted Koli and Pandher in the Nithari cases before it, overturning the convictions and death sentences awarded by the trial court. On July 30, 2025, the top court dismissed 14 appeals against the high court verdict. This left one case against Koli, involving the alleged rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl. On November 11, 2025, the Supreme Court allowed his curative petition and acquitted him in the case, bringing an end to all 13 Nithari cases against him. 19 years later Surinder Koli walked out of Greater Noida’s Luksar jail (File photo) In its judgment, the Supreme Court said criminal law does not permit a conviction based on conjecture or a hunch and that suspicion, however grave, cannot replace proof beyond reasonable doubt. His brother later told TOI that Koli had returned to his village in June with his son and stayed for around 15 days. Forensic team at the crime scene Koli’s death comes nearly 20 years after the Nithari killings first came to light and less than a year after the Supreme Court’s final acquittal left him legally cleared in all 13 cases. The Nithari killings, which began with the recovery of human remains from the vicinity of Pandher’s house on December 29, 2006, remain one of the most notorious criminal investigations in the country.
Jhabbu Lal and Sunita Devi who lost their minor daughter in the Nithari serial killings, at their shop in Noida. (PTI Photo) The CBI and victims’ families challenged the acquittals before the Supreme Court. He walked out of Luksar District Jail in Greater Noida two days later, PTI reported. Yet, despite the convictions and death sentences handed down over the years, Koli ultimately died as an acquitted man in every case that had been brought against him. (With agency inputs) You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in Delhi Stay updated with the latest Delhi news.
It further said the investigation had not adequately examined witnesses from the household and neighbourhood or pursued material leads, including an organ-trade angle flagged by a government committee. The court said the identity of the actual perpetrator had not been established to the required legal standard. Both were sentenced to death the following day. Surendra Koli (L) and Mohinder Pandher after a CBI court awarded death sentence to them in Nithari killing case. (File Photo) Koli went on to receive death sentences in several other cases. Koli challenged his conviction in the remaining case through a curative petition, the final legal recourse available after the review process. The court also pointed to several shortcomings in the investigation, including the failure to secure the crime scene before excavation, contradictory versions in remand papers, prolonged police custody without a timely court-directed medical examination and shortcomings in the collection and presentation of forensic evidence. After his release, Koli moved to Haridwar, where he began rebuilding his life. He had been living there for several months and had recently started running a tea stall. During the visit, he travelled around the village and discussed plans to start a business. Koli had also spoken about the nearly two decades he had spent behind bars and regretted that the years could never be returned to him. Download the TOI App.
On Friday, Koli was found hanging at a rented tea stall on Sapt Sarovar Road in Haridwar.
