Surendra Koli Died By Suicide, Post-Mortem Report Confirms: Uttarakhand Police

Haridwar, September 23, 2026: Surendra Koli, who spent nearly two decades in jail before being acquitted in all 13 cases linked to the 2006 Nithari killings, died by suicide, according to his post-mortem report, Uttarakhand Police said on Wednesday.

Koli was found dead at a tea stall in Haridwar on September 18. Police said the post-mortem examination found that he died of asphyxia due to ante-mortem hanging and that the investigation had so far found no evidence suggesting another person was involved.

Autopsy Points To Suicide

“The autopsy report of Surendra Koli states it as a suicidal death. The cause of death is specified as asphyxia due to ante-mortem hanging. During the investigation also, no other forensic evidence, CCTV footage of any suspect person or suspicious activity came to light,” City Police Station in-charge Kundan Singh Rana said.

No suicide note was recovered. Koli had rented the tea stall in Haridwar’s Sapt Rishi area just three days before his death.

His brother, Chandan Koli, submitted a complaint at the Saptarishi police outpost in Haridwar on Sunday, seeking a high-level investigation into the death. He alleged that his brother had died under suspicious circumstances.

The demand for a high-level probe and the police findings present contrasting aspects of the case. While Koli’s family has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding his death, police have said the post-mortem findings and evidence gathered during the investigation point to suicide.

Family Raises Questions

After Koli’s body was recovered, police began an investigation and sent it for a post-mortem examination to establish the cause of death. The examination was conducted on September 19.

Following the examination, Koli’s brothers and son performed his final rites at the Khadkhadi Cremation Ganga Ghat in Haridwar, Hindustan Times reports.

Police said the investigation found no forensic evidence, CCTV footage involving a suspect or suspicious activity indicating the involvement of another person in Koli’s death.

Koli had walked out of jail on November 12, 2025, wearing a powder-blue shirt, black trousers and a navy-blue jacket.

A New Life In Haridwar

Anil Sharma, who had rented the tea stall to Koli in Haridwar’s Kumbh Mela area, said Koli had introduced himself as “Sada Ram” and told him that he had previously worked in Roshanabad.

Neighbouring shopkeepers said Sada Ram appeared to have been looking ahead to the next year’s Ardh Kumbh fair and hoped to maximise his earnings during the four-month event.

The tea stall is in the core Mela zone, an area with a large number of temples, ashrams, dharamshalas, maths and hotels. Sharma had rented the stall to Koli for Rs 7,000 a month and taken an advance of Rs 14,000.

Police identified Koli as a resident of Magrukhal in the Bhikiasain area of Almora.

From Nithari Case To Acquittal

Koli had worked as a domestic help at the Noida home of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher.

The Nithari case came to light in 2006 after skeletons, skulls and bones were discovered in drains and the backyard of Pandher’s bungalow in Noida’s Sector 31. The discovery triggered nationwide outrage amid suspicions over the disappearances and murders of several children and women.

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Koli and Pandher were arrested on December 29, 2006, and charged with rape, murder, abduction, trafficking and destruction of evidence.

Koli subsequently spent nearly two decades in jail before being acquitted in all 13 cases linked to the Nithari killings. His death, less than a year after his release, has now prompted questions from his family even as police maintain that the medical and forensic findings indicate suicide.

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