Dehradun, Sep 23 (PTI) Surendra Koli, the accused in the Nithari killings who was acquitted in all 13 cases, died by hanging, according to his post-mortem report, police said on Wednesday.
Haridwar City Circle Officer Shishupal Singh Negi claimed that the post-mortem report confirms that Koli committed suicide on September 18 by hanging himself from the ceiling fan in his tea stall in Haridwar’s Saptarishi area.
He said according to the post-mortem report, clear ligature marks were found on Koli’s neck, but there were no other injury marks on his body. The officer said the rope appeared to have snapped due to Koli’s weight, causing him to fall to the ground, and the bleeding from the mouth and nose likely occurred subsequently.
Police are trying to find out if Koli took the extreme step due to financial hardship or personal stress, the officer said.
An official involved in the investigation said Koli had borrowed Rs 5,000 to open the tea stall. He had opened the stall just three or four days before his death.
The officer said police have examined CCTV footage obtained from the area, but no suspicious activity has come to light. He said Koli lived in extremely difficult circumstances and had to change rooms four times within a short period in Haridwar.
The officer said Koli was living under a concealed identity and had to quit his jobs repeatedly because he could not provide an Aadhaar card or undergo police verification.
According to police, Koli arrived in Haridwar about a month ago. Prior to that he stayed with some lawyers and at a church in Bengaluru.
Koli’s family members have raised questions over his death and demanded an impartial investigation.
The Nithari case came to light in 2006 when skeletal remains, skulls and bones were found from the backyard and drains near a bungalow belonging to businessman Moninder Singh Pandher in Sector 31, Noida.
Koli worked as a domestic help at the Pandher’s house.
The gruesome findings, which unearthed the disappearance and killings of several children and women, had triggered nationwide outrage and terrorised the local community.
Pandher, a co-accused in the case, was also in jail for years but was released on October 20, 2023, after his acquittal.
Koli was acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2025 in the last Nithari case. It was the 13th case in the Nithari killings in which Koli was acquitted. He was earlier acquitted in the 12 other cases. PTI COR DPT ASD
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