Surendra Koli, the key accused in the infamous Nithari killings case, died by suicide in Haridwar on Friday, where he had begun operating a tea stall. The news of his death, according to police, came to light on Thursday at a tea kiosk near Lal Mata Temple on Sapt Sarovar Road. 

According to police, a man had been discovered dead inside the tea stall at around 11 am. A team from the Sapt Rishi police outpost rushed to the scene on receipt of the information and assumed custody of the body. 

The deceased was later identified as Surendra Koli (59), son of Shanku Ram and a native of Mangrukhal village in Bhikiyasen, Almora. 

Police learnt that Koli had been residing in Haridwar for the past few months and had rented the tea kiosk only a few days before his death. His body, according to the police, has been sent for autopsy, while further legal proceedings have been initiated. 

As per police, the circumstances surrounding his death are being probed, and the investigating police personnel have been unable to ascertain the cause behind his alleged suicide so far. 

SC had acquitted Koli in connection with Nithari killings

Koli’s death comes less than a year after the Supreme Court (SC) acquitted him in connection with the Nithari killings. In November 2025, the SC set aside its conviction in the final pending case and ordered to release him if he was not required in any other criminal case or proceedings. The development had surfaced after years of legal proceedings in connection with the killings that shook the country. 

In July 2025, the apex court had upheld Koli’s acquittal in 12 cases linked to the Nithari killings after junking appeals challenging the Allahabad High Court’s 2023 verdict. Despite those acquittals, Koli was incarcerated at the time owing to his conviction in another case. 

In November last year, the top court agreed to hear Koli’s curative petition in that final case and recalled the earlier conviction. It noted that the evidence relied upon to convict him could not be sustained after similar evidence had already been trashed in other cases related to Nithari killings. 

Nationwide outrage erupted after Nithari killings

The Niithari killings were reported in December 2006, when skeletal remains of kids were recovered from a drain near the house of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher in Noida’s Nithari area. 

The discovery triggered widespread outrage across the country and resulted in multiple criminal proceedings against Koli and Pandher. While dealing with the final case against Koli, the SC also shed light on serious shortcomings in the probe and evidence. It emphasised that regardless of the gravity of the allegations, criminal convictions must be founded on legally reliable evidence. 

Notably, Koli spent years in prison in connection with the Nithari cases before he was eventually released. His death in Haridwar has now brought another development in one of India’s most closely watched criminal cases, even as police continue to probe the circumstances surrounding his death.