In this image, dated May 12, 2010, Nithari case accused Surendra Koli is being produced before a CBI court from Dasna Jail in Ghaziabad. File | Photo Credit: PTI
Surendra Koli, the man at the center of the sensational Nithari murders who was later acquitted in all 13 cases, was found dead at his tea stall in Haridwar, Uttarakhand on Friday (September 18, 2026), police said.
Koli, who worked as a domestic help at businessman Moninder Singh Pandher’s house in Noida, appears to have committed suicide, police said.
Haridwar Kotwali Police Station Deputy Inspector Vikram Bisht said this. PTI that the Saptarishi police post received information that a man was found dead in a tea shop on Sapt Sarovar road. The deceased was identified as Koli, a resident of Mangruhal in Almora.
Narrated by Shishupal Singh Negi, District Officer of the city. PTIVideo that Koli lived in Haridwar for some time and rented a tea stall.
“This morning, the police received information that a person was found dead. Our forensic team has reached the spot. It is now a case of suicide. The body is in police custody and panchanama and autopsy are being carried out,” he said.
Nithari’s case came to light in 2006 when skeletal remains, skulls and bones were found in a backyard and drain near a bungalow owned by Pandher in Sector 31 of Noida.
The horrific findings, revealing the disappearances and murders of several children and women, sparked national outrage and terrorized the local community.
Pandher, a co-accused in the case, was also in jail for several years but was released on October 20, 2023 after being acquitted in the case.
Koli, the only person convicted in the sensational 2006 Nithari massacre case, was acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2025 in the last such case.
This was the 13th Nithari murder case in which Koli was acquitted. He was previously acquitted in 12 other related cases.
Allowing Kohli’s plea challenging his conviction in a case related to the alleged rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Nithari, the apex court said criminal law does not allow conviction on the basis of hunches or conjectures.
A panel comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath, said the crimes in Nithari were heinous and the suffering of the families immeasurable.
“It is deeply regrettable that despite lengthy investigations, the identity of the real culprit has not been established in accordance with legal standards,” the panel said.
It states that suspicion, no matter how serious, cannot substitute for proof beyond reasonable doubt and courts cannot favor expediency over legality.
“The presumption of innocence continues until guilt is proven by admissible and reliable evidence; and when the evidence fails, the only legitimate outcome is to overturn a conviction even in a case involving heinous crimes,” the panel said.
Those in distress or suicidal tendencies can seek help and advice by calling any of these numbers.
Published – September 18, 2026 03:37 pm EST.
