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The father of a victim in the 2006 Nithari serial killings case on Friday questioned the circumstances surrounding the alleged suicide of accused Surendra Koli in Haridwar, asking whether he actually died by suicide or was killed.
"Did he really commit suicide, or was he killed? Someone had him killed. Why would he commit suicide after being released from jail? He could have lived a quiet life with his children and his elderly mother. He was killed. What worries did he have?" the victim's father told ANI. The victim's father said Koli could have earned a living after his release and supported his family. "He could have easily earned enough, even just working at a tea stall for his family. He had children, after all..." he said. Recalling his interaction with Koli in connection with his daughter's death, the victim's father said he had confronted him and questioned him about how he had lured her. "When confronted, he confessed. I asked him, 'How did you lure my daughter? What did you do to her?' He replied, 'Please forgive me; she came by mistake; it happened by mistake,'" he said. He alleged that Koli would lure children by offering them toys or flowers and would allegedly approach adults by offering them work and money. "The reality is if you show flowers or toys to children, no matter how rich the family is, they will run to ask for them. He would lure them with toys or flowers. As for the adult women and men, he would trap them by offering money under the pretext of work, offering whatever amount they wanted," he said. Koli, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2025 in connection with the Nithari serial killings case, allegedly died by suicide in Haridwar's Bhupatwala area, police said on Friday. According to Haridwar Police, Koli was residing in the Bhupatwala area under Haridwar City Kotwali jurisdiction and had been running a tea stall there for the past several days. Haridwar City CO Shishupal Singh Negi said police received information about a person allegedly dying by suicide in the Sapt Rishi area and identified him as Surendra Koli based on an Aadhaar card found at the spot. "We have just received information that a person has died by suicide in the Sapt Rishi area. At first sight, it appears to be a case of suicide. However, an Aadhaar card found at the spot bears the name Surendra Koli, and the address also matches," Negi told ANI. He said an FSL team had reached the spot for preliminary examination and that proceedings for the inquest and post-mortem would be conducted thereafter by a panel. Police reached the spot after receiving information about the incident and took the body into custody. An investigation into the matter is underway. Koli and businessman Moninder Singh Pandher were accused in the 2006 Nithari serial killings, which came to light after skeletal remains of children were recovered from a drain behind Pandher's house in Noida. The Supreme Court in 2025 acquitted Koli, who had been convicted in the Nithari killings case, and set aside his conviction. (ANI)
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