3. 2006 Nithari Serial Murders (Noida, UP)
One of the most horrifying serial murder trials in India. From rape, murder, abduction to practicing necrophilia, everything that used to happen secretly in D-5, Sector 31, Noida.
What Really Happened?
December 29, 2006, two Nithari residents claimed to have seen the remains of children who had gone missing, in the backyard drain of the D-5 house, which leads to Nithari village. And the suspects were Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Surinder Koli. To investigate the matter, RWA President SC Mishra and a few other residents searched the tank drain and found decomposed hands. Both the alleged murderers were detained for questioning. And Koli admitted to abducting, murdering and sexually assaulting 20-year-old Payal. When police started digging the tank further, there emerged several dead bodies and decomposed body parts of children and young women. It is believed that 19 skulls were discovered in this manner.
Why the Murder?
It was a case with several charges such as abduction, rape, murder and destruction of evidence. And CBI has also indicted Koli as a cannibal.
What’s the Status Now?
One after the other, there were total 16 cases filed against the employer/ employee duo. They were also put through brain mapping, polygraph test and narco analysis. On 13 February 2009, both the accused Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder Koli were given the death sentence in Rimpa Haldar murder case. However, Pandher was later acquitted by Allahabad HC. Koli has been awarded death sentence in several cases since then. In March 2019, Surinder Koli was awarded the death penalty in the tenth Nithari case of a 14-year-old by the CBI court in Ghaziabad. Some of the other cases are pending in appeal at the SC or the Allahabad HC. In 2014, some lawyers approached the SC and got a stay on the execution of Koli in a midnight proceeding. In 2017, Moninder Singh Pandher was also awarded the death sentence for the murder of a twenty-five-year-old maidservant along with Koli; it was ninth of the 16 murder cases. CBI has named theses cases as ‘rarest of the rare’ Nithari Kand. Right now, both the accused are in jail.
In 2017, a documentary was also made on this case called ‘The Karma Killings’ by Indian American filmmaker Ram Devineni which premiered on Netflix.
