On Friday, police in Haridwar announced that Surendra Koli, a former accused in the Nithari serial killings, was found dead at his tea stall.
Koli had been arrested in 2006 at the age of 30 and had worked as a domestic helper in the Noida residence of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher. He had received multiple death sentences over the years.
The Nithari case began in 2006 when skeletal remains, skulls and bones were discovered in the backyard and drains of Pandher’s bungalow (D‑5) in Sector 31, Noida. The findings exposed the disappearance and murder of several children and women, provoking nationwide outrage.
Koli had been acquitted in several related cases, and Pandher, who had been jailed for years, was released on 20 October 2023 after his own acquittal.
