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India's 'house of horrors' case ends as final convict walks free
Nearly two decades after the discovery of 19 dismembered bodies near a bungalow in Noida, India, the last convicted man in the case-Surinder Koli-has been acquitted by the Supreme Court, closing one of the country's most gruesome criminal investigations. The ruling, delivered on 12 November, overturned his conviction, citing a confession obtained under torture, and left victims' families grappling with unanswered questions: if not Koli and his employer, Moninder Singh Pandher, then who murdered their children?
The Nithari killings: A timeline of horror
The case began in December 2006, when police uncovered human remains near a bungalow in Noida, a suburb of Delhi. The victims-mostly women and children-were linked to the impoverished migrant community of Nithari, living in slums adjacent to the affluent neighborhood where the crimes occurred. Authorities arrested Pandher, a businessman, and Koli, his servant, after body parts were found near their residence.
Initial reports suggested some victims had been raped, and the brutality of the killings-including allegations of cannibalism and necrophilia in Koli's confession-sparked national outrage. Parents accused police of ignoring disappearances for over two years, highlighting India's stark social divides: the accused lived in privilege, while the victims were marginalized.
Legal battles and flawed investigations
Both men were initially convicted of rape and murder, spending years on death row. Pandher was acquitted in 2023 due to insufficient evidence. Koli's final appeal hinged on his claim that his confession-central to his convictions-was coerced. The Supreme Court agreed, noting it was recorded after 60 days in custody, with signs of torture and police interference. The judges criticized investigators for a "flawed" probe, accusing them of targeting Koli as a "poor servant" while ignoring leads, including a potential organ-trade angle flagged by a government committee.
The court's order stated the "true offender" remains unidentified, and the investigation was marred by "negligence and delay." Koli's lawyer, Yug Mohit Chaudhry, told PTI that all evidence was "fabricated," alleging a conspiracy to shield powerful figures. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has not responded to the allegations.
Families left without closure
In Nithari, where most victims' families have moved away, the few who remain express despair. Sunita Kanaujia, whose 10-year-old daughter Jyoti was among the victims, asked, "If they're innocent, why were they jailed for 18 years?" Her husband, Jhabbu Lal Kanaujia-a key figure in exposing the killings-burned years of collected case documents after Koli's acquittal. "It's a wound that never heals," he said, recalling the 2006 discovery of skulls and bones in a sewer near the bungalow. "If not them, who killed our children?"
Pappu Lal, whose eight-year-old daughter Rachna vanished in 2006, described police dismissing complaints as elopements. "If they'd acted sooner, many could've been saved," he said. Rachna's belongings were later found near the bungalow, now a derelict ruin sealed with bricks and overgrown vegetation. Lal vowed to file a fresh complaint, demanding accountability from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Systemic failures and lingering questions
Residents and activists blame systemic apathy. Aruna Arora, a former local welfare association president, said authorities ignored disappearances until bodies were found. "These were poor children-no one cared," she said. The case was transferred to federal investigators only after public fury erupted, with two senior police officers transferred and six suspended.
Legal experts offer little hope for reinvestigation. Retired Supreme Court Justice Madan Lokur called it "impossible" after so much time. Anupam Nagalia of the Better World Foundation, which aided victims' families, said, "The highest court has spoken. There's nowhere left to turn." For now, families are left with grief-and a justice system many no longer trust.
"Our fight now is with the government. Aren't our children India's children?"
Pappu Lal, father of victim Rachna
