DEHRADUN: Surendra Koli, whose name remained associated for nearly two decades with the Nithari killings that shocked the nation in 2006, was found dead inside a tea kiosk in Haridwar’s Bhupatwala area on Friday. Police said preliminary findings indicated suicide, though the circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated.
The body of Koli (50) was discovered at the kiosk opposite the Lal Mata Temple under the Haridwar City Kotwali police station limits. Locals alerted the police, who reached the spot, took custody of the body and began questioning people in the vicinity.
Police identified Koli as the son of Shanku Ram and a native of Mangrukhal village in the Bhikiyasain area of Uttarakhand’s Almora district.
“Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide. However, the reasons and the circumstances leading to the death are under investigation,” police said. No immediate details about a possible motive were disclosed.
According to the preliminary inquiry, Koli had been living in Haridwar for the past few months and had earlier worked as a security guard in Roshnabad. He reportedly moved to the Bhupatwala locality four days ago and started operating the tea kiosk where his body was found.
Investigators are now gathering information about his acquaintances, movements and activities in recent weeks.
Koli worked as a domestic help at businessman Moninder Singh Pandher’s house in Noida’s Sector 31 where several skeletal remains were recovered from a drain behind the property on December 29, 2006. The remains were linked to children and young women reported missing from the impoverished Nithari locality.
The discovery triggered nationwide outrage and led to a prolonged investigation and multiple trials. Koli was convicted and sentenced to death in several cases.
The Allahabad High Court acquitted Koli and Pandher in the cases in October 2023, citing serious investigative lapses and insufficient evidence. In November 2025, the Supreme Court acquitted Koli in the remaining cases, paving the way for his release.
Koli's legal freedom, however, came after years of social isolation for his family. His mother, Kunti Devi, died about three years ago, while his wife, Shanti Devi, reportedly left the village Mangrukhal with their two children nearly a decade ago.
“The disgrace was too much for the family to bear. They faced constant humiliation,” a local source said. The family’s ancestral house in the village now lies abandoned and dilapidated.
Former Zila Panchayat member Narayan Singh Rawat had helped Koli obtain urgent legal intervention in 2014, when his execution appeared imminent.
“I contacted lawyers and managed to get the court opened late at night,” Rawat recalled. “We argued that executing him in one case could prejudice proceedings in the remaining cases. The court agreed to examine the matter.”
Koli’s death closes another tragic chapter linked to a case that continues to haunt the families of the victims and remains one of India’s most disturbing criminal investigations.
NITHARI KILLINGS TIMELINE:
• 2005–2006: Several children and young women went missing from Nithari village in Noida.
• December 29, 2006: Human remains, including skulls and bones, were discovered near businessman Moninder Singh Pandher’s bungalow in Sector 31, Noida.
• December 2006: Pandher and his domestic worker, Surendra Koli, were arrested.
• January 11, 2007: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation.
• 2007 onward: The CBI filed 16 chargesheets connected to the killings.
• Subsequent trials: Koli was convicted and awarded death sentences in multiple cases. Pandher was also convicted in some cases.
• October 16, 2023: The Allahabad High Court acquitted Koli and Pandher in the cases before it, citing insufficient evidence and serious investigative lapses.
• November 12, 2025: The Supreme Court acquitted Koli in the remaining case and ordered his immediate release.
• September 18, 2026: Surendra Koli died by suicide.
