In late December 2006, skeletons and human remains were discovered in drains behind the house of Moninder Singh Pandher in Sector 31, Noida’s Nithari village, sparking national horror and outrage.  His domestic help, Surinder Koli, was accused of abducting children and women, committing rape-murder and disposing of body parts in a deeply shocking series of crimes. 

The case quickly exposed systemic failures: missing persons reports were ignored, evidence collection was flawed and the investigation raised allegations of police apathy and corruption. In 2009 and later years, Pandher and Koli were convicted and awarded death sentences in several cases by special courts.

However, in a dramatic turn, the Allahabad High Court in October 2023 acquitted Koli and Pandher in multiple cases, citing lack of reliable evidence. In 2025 the Supreme Court of India upheld this acquittal, underscoring legal safeguards but also igniting serious public debate on justice, investigation quality and victims’ rights. 

The Nithari killings remain one of India’s darkest criminal episodes - not only for the brutality of the acts but for the long-running saga of legal uncertainty, systemic scrutiny and the enduring trauma to surviving families.