After Nithari case acquittal, Koli assumed a different identity

Haridwar/AlmoraSurendra Koli, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court in the last remaining Nithari killings case in November 2025, had introduced himself as Sada Ram to rent a tea stall in the Khumb Mela area in Haridwar, the stall owner said, hours after Koli was found hanging in the stall on Friday morning

Haridwar/Almora

Surendra Koli, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court in the last remaining Nithari killings case in November 2025, had introduced himself as Sada Ram to rent a tea stall in the Khumb Mela area in Haridwar, the stall owner said, hours after Koli was found hanging in the stall on Friday morning.

Anil Sharma, who had rented out the tea stall, said Koli had claimed he had been working with a state government enterprise in Roshanabad, after which Sharma rented out the stall to him a few months ago for a monthly rental of ₹7,000 and an advance of ₹14,000.

“He told me that he wanted to shift to Haridwar city area to earn a better livelihood for his family,” Sharma said.

Locals who had interacted with Koli said that he had been looking forward to next year’s Ardh Kumbh fair, to maximise his earnings during the four-month event.

An e-rickshaw driver, on the condition of anonymity, said he was the first to discover the body inside the stall at about 11am, when he went to have tea. He said that no one in the neighbourhood knew about Koli’s past. “Chaiwala Bhai (Koli) had started selling tea just a few days ago, but I cannot recall the exact date. Now that his identity has been revealed, all the neighbouring shopkeepers and those who used to have tea at his shop are shocked,” he said.

Surendra’s brother Anand Koli, who lives in Almora district of Uttarakhand, said that his brother had visited the family in June and had stayed with them for about a fortnight. “He was in touch with me over the phone but never spoke about his issues. He had taken up several jobs, of a security guard and labourer, mostly in and around Haridwar before opening the tea kiosk. He had told us about his effort to rebuild his life,” he said.

Ishu Devi, 30, the head of Mangrukhal village in Uttarakhand’s Almora district—Koli’s home town—said his wife Shanti Devi left the village with their two children in 2010, four years after he was arrested in the Nithari case. Their family house in the village is in ruins, and his brother sometimes visits the village, Devi said.

Villager Rajendra Lakheda, 35, said residents had respected the Supreme Court’s acquittal of Koli and had no objection to his returning to the village. “But he never came to stay here permanently. Today, we got the news of his death,” he said.

The Nithari killings came to light in 2006 when skeletal remains of several children were discovered in a drain behind the Noida residence of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, where Koli worked as a domestic help. Both Koli and Pandher were arrested. On November 11, 2025, the Supreme Court allowed Koli’s curative petition in the last remaining case, set aside his conviction and ordered that he be released forthwith if he was not wanted in any other case.