Nithari case accused Surendra Koli dies by suicide in Haridwar

Surendra Koli, who was accused in the 2006 Nithari killings case, was found dead at a tea stall in Haridwar on Friday, police said.

His death is being treated as an apparent suicide, with police investigating the circumstances.

Koli was found hanging inside the tea stall in the Bhupatwala area of Haridwar.

Police reached the spot after receiving information about the incident and informed his family in Almora. No suicide note has reportedly been recovered so far.

Koli had moved to Haridwar after being released from prison and had been working at a rented tea stall.

His death comes less than a year after the Supreme Court acquitted him in the last remaining case linked to the Nithari killings in November 2025.

The Nithari case came to light in December 2006 after human remains were recovered from drains and areas surrounding businessman Moninder Singh Pandher's house in Noida.

The discoveries led to a series of criminal cases involving the alleged killings of children and women and triggered widespread public outrage.

Pandher, who was also an accused in the case, was acquitted by the Allahabad High Court in 2023 and released from jail on October 20 that year.

Koli, meanwhile, remained in custody for years and received multiple death sentences in different cases before eventually being acquitted in the remaining proceedings.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Koli's death, while further details are awaited.