Surendra Koli, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court in the final remaining case linked to the Nithari serial killings, was found dead inside a tea stall in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, on Friday. Police said the circumstances surrounding his death were suspicious and an investigation has been launched.
Koli had been living in Haridwar for the past few months, according to police. Uttarakhand Police officer Kundan Singh Rana said Koli, originally from Mangrukhal village in Almora, had recently rented the tea stall and started operating it. Before moving into the small business, he had worked as a security guard.
Police said no suicide note was recovered from the spot. Koli’s family members in Almora have been informed about his death, and officials are investigating what happened. Further details about the cause of death are awaited.
Koli's death comes less than a year after the Supreme Court acquitted him in the last surviving case connected with the Nithari killings. In November 2025, the court set aside his conviction, observing that the evidence used in that case was essentially the same as that relied upon in 12 other cases in which he had already been acquitted.
The Nithari killings came to light in December 2006 after human remains were discovered in a drain near a residential area in Nithari, Noida. The discovery followed the disappearance of several children and young people from the area. During the investigation, police recovered skulls, bones and pieces of clothing from the vicinity.
Koli, who had worked as a domestic worker at a house owned by businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, was accused by investigators of luring victims to the property and murdering them. Pandher was also accused in connection with the case. Investigators later alleged that Koli had committed several murders and made other serious claims about the crimes.
The Central Bureau of Investigation took over the investigation in January 2007. The prosecution relied heavily on Koli’s confession and several alleged recoveries of evidence. However, courts subsequently raised serious questions about the reliability of the confession and the manner in which evidence had been collected.
While examining Koli’s final remaining conviction, the Supreme Court noted that the same confession and recoveries had already been found unreliable in the other cases. The court held that there was no consistent legal basis for allowing one conviction to continue when the remaining cases based on the same evidence had failed.
The Supreme Court therefore acquitted Koli in November 2025, bringing his long legal battle over the Nithari cases to an end.
His death in Haridwar has now brought the case back into focus. Police are examining the circumstances in which he died, while his family has been informed. The exact cause of death will be established after the investigation and any required post-mortem examination.
The Nithari case remains one of the most closely followed criminal investigations in India, with questions over the original investigation, evidence collection and convictions continuing to attract legal and public attention.
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