Nithari Case: Surendra Koli, Acquitted by Supreme Court, Found Dead in Haridwar

Surendra Koli, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court in the final case linked to the infamous Nithari killings, was found dead at a tea stall in Haridwar on Friday. Police said his body was found hanging inside the stall and the preliminary inquiry indicates suicide, although the exact circumstances and reason for his death are still being investigated. Reports said Koli had been living in Haridwar for the past few months and had recently started operating a tea stall. No suicide note was found at the scene.

The Nithari killings came to light in December 2006 after skeletal remains were discovered in a drain behind the house of Moninder Singh Pandher in Noida. Koli and Pandher were arrested during the investigation. Koli was acquitted in 12 cases by the Allahabad High Court in 2023, with the Supreme Court upholding those acquittals in July 2025. In November 2025, the Supreme Court also set aside Koli’s conviction in the last pending Nithari case and ordered his release, bringing the criminal proceedings against him to an end.