17 yrs on, Nithari ‘house of horrors’ now in ruins

The house has now been completely taken over by creepers and shrubs. The boundary wall in the front has collapsed and the iron gate vanished

The ‘D-5 Kothi’ has become a landmark of sorts in Sector 31, a grim reminder though of the horrific crimes that came to be associated with a once sprawling bungalow, home to Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder Koli, the main accused in the Nithari killings.

The D-5, Sector 31 house of Moninder Singh Pandher in 2009, three years after he and his domestic help Surendra Koli were arrested in connection with the Nithari serial killings. (HT archive)

Also referred to as the “house of horrors” in the news related to the killings of at least 19 children, the house has now been completely taken over by creepers and shrubs. The boundary wall in the front has collapsed and the iron gate vanished.

Curious onlookers gathered around the house on Monday as press photographers thronged the site soon after the Allahabad high court acquitted Pandher and Koli, with several children trying to climb the broken boundary wall.

“One of the kids just said that they saw someone inside, we are just trying to peep inside the house. We are not going in. Some of my friends’ parents do not allow them to play near the D-5 kothi,” said one of the children who gathered around the abandoned property on Monday.

According to government records, the bungalow was sealed by the Uttar Pradesh police in December, 2006. The house is owned by Devender Kaur, Pandher’s wife. Their son, Karan Pandher, approached the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration to deseal the house, several times in the past, but in vain.

“The house remains sealed as of now. We will check the legal position in this case and take a decision accordingly on desealing it,” said Manish Verma, district magistrate.

VK Bhatt, president of Sector 31 Residents’ Welfare Association, said the house stands as a reminder of the gruesome killings for not just the local residents but even those who visit the area. He said the area is yet to get rid of the “stigma” that it was the address of the Nithari killings.

“It has been 17 years, but even today we are reminded of the serial killings. The ‘D-5 kothi’ stands as a dark reminder of the merciless killings of the innocent children. It has become a notorious memorial. Residents of the sector feel that something should be done about it. Either the government should demolish it or allow the owner to sell it,” said Bhatt.

Other residents said in the aftermath of the case people stopped buying property in Sector 31. “Our sector got associated with Nithari village as well as the killings. No one wanted to buy a house here and it took a long time for the sector to be inhabited,” said Rakesh Sikka, a resident of Sector 31 who has been living in Noida since 1991.

According to RK Singh, another resident of Sector 31, property rates in the area are still lower compared to nearby pockets. “The Nithari killings was a traumatic episode for nearby residents and left a deep impact on them. Over the years the case memory has faded but even the property rates are still lower than nearby sectors,” said Singh, who came to Noida in 1995.

Pawan Yadav, a resident of Sector 100 and vice-president of Federation of Noida Residents’ Welfare Association (FONRWA), lived in Sector 31 A block in 2006 when the crimes came to light. However, he left the sector soon.

“I had three young children at the time, and had just settled in Noida in 2004. After we got to know about the killings, my wife and I were afraid of sending our children out to play. In 2007, we decided to shift to another sector,” said Yadav.

In July 2019, a car parked in the bungalow’s garage caught fire. In October 2014, a fire broke out on the premises and partially damaged the building. In September 2018, thieves had ransacked the bungalow and decamped with valuables.