Haridwar: Surendra Koli, who was acquitted in all 13 cases linked to the 2006 Nithari killings, was found hanging at a rented tea stall in Haridwar on Friday, September 18. Police have said the death appeared prima facie to be a suicide, while a father of one of the Nithari victims has rejected that theory and alleged that Koli was murdered.
Koli’s body was found at the tea stall on Sapt Sarovar Road in Haridwar. Police said a forensic team examined the scene and that the body had been taken into custody for inquest and post-mortem procedures. No suicide note was reportedly found, and an investigation into the circumstances of his death is underway.
Victim’s Father Questions Suicide Theory
Jhabbu Lal, whose 15-year-old daughter was among the victims of the Nithari killings, questioned why Koli would have died by suicide after spending several months outside prison following his release.
“Surendra Koli has been murdered; he has not died by suicide,” Lal alleged. He further claimed that Koli may have been preparing to disclose important information and suggested that this could have been a reason for his alleged murder. He did not provide evidence supporting the claim.
Lal also disputed the portrayal of Koli as the principal culprit in the Nithari case and pointed to businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, at whose Noida residence Koli had worked as a domestic help.
Koli Was Acquitted in All 13 Nithari Cases
The Nithari killings came to light in December 2006 after skeletal remains, skulls and bones were recovered from drains and the area around Pandher’s house in Sector 31, Noida. The case triggered widespread public outrage and a prolonged criminal investigation.
Koli was arrested in 2006 and was subsequently convicted in multiple cases, receiving death sentences in several of them. However, courts eventually overturned the convictions, and the Supreme Court acquitted him in the final remaining Nithari case in 2025.
While allowing Koli’s curative petition in the final case involving the alleged rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl, the Supreme Court emphasized that suspicion cannot replace proof beyond reasonable doubt. The court also noted that the identity of the actual perpetrator had not been established to the required legal standard.
Koli Had Started a Tea Stall in Haridwar
After his release from prison, Koli moved to Haridwar and had been living there for several months. Police said he had previously worked as a security guard before renting the tea stall, which he had reportedly started operating only days before his death.
Police have not concluded that the death was a murder. The preliminary assessment points toward suicide, but the forensic examination, post-mortem and investigation will determine the circumstances surrounding Koli’s death.
The allegation by the victim’s father remains a claim and has not been established by investigators.
The investigation into Surendra Koli’s death is ongoing.
