By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Surendra Koli, who was once prime accused and later acquitted in the infamous Nithari killings case, was found dead in Haridwar on Friday, police said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Koli, who had been living in Haridwar and running a tea stall, hung himself from a ceiling fan inside his rented kiosk near Sapt Sarovar area of the city. His body was found at the tea stall opposite Lal Mata Temple on Sapt Sarovar Road. “Koli committed suicide”, Haridwar City DSP Shishupal Singh Negi told media.
On receiving information, police personnel reached the spot and began an investigation. No suicide note was found at the tea stall, police officials said.
Koli’s family members in Almora were informed about his death. He was a resident of Mangrukhhal village in Bhikyasen area of Almora district.
Police said Koli had been staying in Haridwar for some time and was earning a living by running a tea business from a rented kiosk.
Senior police officials said the exact cause and circumstances of his death would be established after the investigation and post-mortem examination.
Koli was one of the accused in the Nithari killings case involving the deaths of several people, including children, in Noida in the mid-2000s. He was subsequently acquitted in the cases.
The Nithari case came to light in 2006 when skeletons, skulls, and bones were discovered in the drains and the backyard of businessman Mohinder Singh Pandher’s bungalow in Noida. Pandher, a co-accused in the case, also spent several years in jail but was released on October 20, 2023, after being acquitted.
Koli, the sole convict in the Nithari case, was also acquitted by the Supreme Court in the final case in 2025.