Nithari killings came to light in 2006 after human remains were found in Noida.
Koli received 12 death sentences before courts overturned the convictions.
After his final acquittal in 2025, Koli moved to Haridwar and ran a tea stall.
Surendra Koli, who spent nearly two decades in prison over the 2006 Nithari killings and was acquitted in all cases against him, was found hanging at a tea stall he ran in Haridwar on Friday, September 18. Police said no suicide note was recovered and that the circumstances surrounding his death were being investigated. Koli was 50.
His death came less than a year after the Supreme Court acquitted him in the final Nithari case in November 2025, bringing an end to a nearly two-decade legal saga that saw him receive 12 death sentences before ultimately being cleared in every case.
The Nithari killings had shocked the country in 2006 after skeletal remains of women and children were found around the D-5 bungalow of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher in Noida's Sector 31, where Koli worked as a domestic help.
Here is a timeline of the case and Koli's legal journey.
2005: Disappearances Begin
Several women and children began disappearing from Nithari village in Noida's Sector 31. Families raised concerns about missing relatives, but the disappearances did not initially trigger a major investigation.
Among those who went missing was 15-year-old Rimpa Haldar, whose alleged rape and murder later became the basis of the final case against Koli.
December 2006: Human Remains Found
On December 29, 2006, police searching a drain behind Pandher's bungalow recovered eight skeletal remains. Koli and Pandher were arrested.
Further searches around the property and nearby drains uncovered more bones, skulls, clothing and other belongings. The discoveries triggered nationwide outrage and questions over whether authorities had acted on earlier complaints about missing children.
January 2007: CBI Takes Over
The Uttar Pradesh government handed the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on January 10.
The CBI eventually registered 19 cases against Koli and Pandher. Three were closed for lack of evidence, while chargesheets were filed in 16 cases involving allegations including murder, rape, kidnapping, conspiracy and trafficking.
A recorded statement by Koli in March 2007 became a major part of the prosecution case. He allegedly confessed to several murders and made claims of cannibalism and necrophilia.
2009: First Death Sentence
In February 2009, a CBI court convicted Koli and Pandher in the case involving Rimpa Haldar and sentenced them to death.
Koli's conviction and sentence were subsequently upheld by higher courts, including the Supreme Court in 2011.
2010–2021: More Death Sentences
Koli was convicted in several more Nithari cases over the following years. He ultimately received 13 death sentences.
In 2014, the Supreme Court dismissed his review petition in the Rimpa Haldar case, while his mercy petition was rejected by the President.
Hours before he was scheduled to be hanged at Meerut Jail in September 2014, the Supreme Court stayed his execution after his lawyers filed another review petition.
In January 2015, the Allahabad High Court commuted his death sentence in the Rimpa Haldar case to life imprisonment, citing the inordinate delay in deciding his mercy petition.
October 2023: 12 Acquittals
The case took a dramatic turn in October 2023 when the Allahabad High Court acquitted Koli in 12 Nithari cases in which he had been sentenced to death.
Pandher was also acquitted in two cases.
The acquittals raised questions about the prosecution's evidence, including the reliability of Koli's confession and other material used to establish his guilt.
Koli, however, remained in prison because his conviction in the Rimpa Haldar case was still standing.
July 2025: Supreme Court Upholds Acquittals
The CBI and victims' families challenged the Allahabad High Court's acquittals.
On July 30, 2025, the Supreme Court dismissed 14 appeals against the acquittals of Koli and Pandher.
With those appeals dismissed, the 12 acquittals of Koli remained intact. His conviction in the Rimpa Haldar case was the only Nithari conviction still standing.
November 2025: Final Acquittal
Koli challenged his remaining conviction through a curative petition.
The Supreme Court subsequently set aside his conviction and acquitted him in the final Nithari case.
The court observed that criminal law does not permit conviction on conjecture or suspicion and said that despite the heinous nature of the offences, the prosecution had failed to establish the identity of the actual perpetrator to the required legal standard.
With the final acquittal, Koli had been cleared in all 13 Nithari cases in which he had been convicted.
After spending about 19 years in prison, he was released.
2026: Koli Moves To Haridwar
After his release, Koli moved to Haridwar and began running a rented tea stall.
On September 18, police found him hanging inside the stall in the Saptarishi area.
Police said the body was sent for post-mortem examination and that no suicide note was found. Officials said the circumstances were being investigated from all angles.
Koli's death came less than a year after his final acquittal, closing a case that had begun with a series of disappearances and the discovery of human remains in Nithari nearly two decades earlier.
