After his acquittal in the last case related to Noida's Nithari serial killings, Surendra Koli would move to Haridwar, running a tea stall. It was the same place he would be found hanging on September 18.
Two decades ago, Koli worked as a domestic help at the Noida house of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, where the first evidence of the Nithari murders came tumbling out in 2006.
The killings have been one the most chilling criminal investigation cases in India. It began with a series of disappearances in Noida in 2005 and came to national attention after human remains were discovered near Pandher's house in Sector 31 in December 2006. Nearly two decades later, the legal saga ended with the acquittal and release of Surendra Koli in November 2025.
Here is a timeline of the case and Koli's legal journey:
2005: Disappearances and the first clues
A number of women and children began disappearing from Nithari village in Noida's Sector 31 in 2005. Among them was 14-year-old Rimpa Haldar, whose case would later become central to the prosecution against Koli.
Over the following months, more people from the area were reported missing, with families repeatedly raising concerns about the disappearances.
December 2006: Human remains discovered
{{/usCountry}}Over the following months, more people from the area were reported missing, with families repeatedly raising concerns about the disappearances.
December 2006: Human remains discovered
{{/usCountry}}The case took a dramatic turn in December 2006 when investigators began searching the area around D-5, the house owned by businessman Pandher. Koli, who worked as a domestic help there, was also present at the house.
On December 29, police detained Koli in connection with the disappearance of a woman. Pandher was also detained.
During searches around D-5 and nearby drains, police recovered human skulls, bones and other remains, as well as clothing and personal articles believed to belong to missing people.
More remains were recovered the following day. The discoveries led to widespread public outrage and intense scrutiny of the local police investigation.
2007: CBI takes over investigation
In January 2007, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation from the Uttar Pradesh Police. Koli and Pandher became the central accused in a series of cases arising from the disappearances and deaths.
Investigators conducted further searches of D-5 and surrounding areas and examined forensic evidence. The CBI eventually pursued multiple criminal cases involving the deaths and disappearances.
2009: First death sentence
In February 2009, a Ghaziabad court convicted Koli and Pandher in the case involving the murder of Rimpa Haldar. Both were sentenced to death.
It was the first of a series of trials arising from the Nithari investigation in which Koli was convicted.
2010–2012: More convictions
Over the following years, Koli was repeatedly sentenced to death after being convicted for several additional Nithari cases. He received 13 death sentences in total
Meanwhile, Pandher was acquitted in several of the cases involving him.
2011–2015: Supreme Court conviction and commutation
In 2011, the Supreme Court upheld Koli's conviction and death sentence in the Rimpa Haldar case.
Koli's review plea was dismissed in 2014, and his death sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment by the Allahabad High Court in 2015 due to delays in deciding his mercy petition.
Koli nevertheless remained on death row because of convictions and sentences in other Nithari cases.
2016–2021: Further death sentences
Koli continued to face trials in the remaining Nithari cases. Between 2016 and 2021, courts handed down further death sentences against him.
On January 16, 2021, he was sentenced to death in another Nithari case, described as his 13th death sentence. The differing outcomes across the individual cases would later become significant when the courts examined whether the prosecution evidence could sustain the convictions.
October 2023: Allahabad High Court acquits Koli in 12 cases
The biggest turning point came in October 2023, when the Allahabad high court acquitted Koli and co-accused Pandher in several other Nithari cases, overturning their death sentences. The CBI and the victims’ families challenged those acquittals, but the Supreme Court dismissed all 13 appeals.
2024: Acquittals challenged in Supreme Court
In May 2024, the Supreme Court issued notice on pleas challenging the Allahabad High Court's acquittals.
The legal battle continued over whether the High Court had been correct in overturning the convictions.
July 2025: Supreme Court upholds acquittals
On July 30, 2025, the Supreme Court dismissed 14 appeals challenging the acquittals of Koli and Pandher.
The decision upheld the High Court's findings in those cases.
However, one case remained: the Rimpa Haldar murder case, in which Koli's conviction had previously been upheld by the Supreme Court.
November 2025: Koli acquitted in final Nithari case
The final legal hurdle was removed in November 2025.
The Supreme Court allowed Koli's curative petition and set aside his conviction. It ordered his release if he was not required in another case.
With that decision, Koli was no longer convicted in any of the Nithari cases against him.
The acquittals meant that the prosecution had failed to establish Koli's guilt to the required legal standard in the cases that remained before the courts.
After spending nearly two decades in custody, Koli was released from prison.
2026: Koli moves to Haridwar
Following his release, Koli eventually moved to Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
By September 2026, he was reportedly living in the city and running a small tea stall in the Bhupatwala area.
September 18, 2026: Surendra Koli found dead
Police said Koli was found hanging and that the initial circumstances indicated suicide. No suicide note was found.
A forensic team examined the scene and his body was sent for post-mortem examination. Police began investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, with reports indicating that a family dispute was among the possible lines of inquiry.
Koli's death came less than a year after the Supreme Court's final acquittal brought an end to the criminal proceedings against him in the Nithari cases.
(With inputs from PTI)