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

Haridwar: Surendra Koli, who spent nearly two decades in custody in connection with the 2006 Nithari killings before being acquitted in all 13 cases, died by suicide, Uttarakhand Police said on Wednesday, September 23.

The conclusion follows the post-mortem examination conducted after Koli was found dead at a tea stall in Haridwar on September 18. According to police, the autopsy report recorded the cause of death as asphyxia due to ante-mortem hanging.

What did the post-mortem report say?

Haridwar City Police Station in-charge Kundan Singh Rana said the autopsy classified Koli's death as suicidal. Police also said that investigators had not found forensic evidence, CCTV footage or other suspicious activity indicating the involvement of another person.

The post-mortem examination was carried out on September 19, a day after Koli was found dead. His final rites were subsequently performed in Haridwar by members of his family.

Family had questioned circumstances of death

Koli's family had earlier raised questions about the circumstances surrounding his death and sought a high-level investigation. His brother Chandan Koli submitted a complaint at the Saptarishi police outpost, asking authorities to examine the circumstances in which his brother died.

Police had initially treated the death as a suspected suicide but waited for the medical examination before formally stating the cause of death. Earlier reports also said investigators were examining CCTV footage and the circumstances around the tea stall.

Koli had recently started a tea stall

Koli had reached Haridwar shortly before his death and had begun working from a rented tea stall in the Saptarishi area. Police said he had been facing difficulties settling into a new life after his release from prison.

He had been released from jail in November 2025 after the Supreme Court acquitted him in the final case connected with the Nithari killings. The apex court's decision followed a series of acquittals in the cases against him.

Supreme Court had acquitted Koli in the final Nithari case

The 2006 Nithari killings investigation involved the disappearance and deaths of several children and young women in and around Nithari, Noida. Koli and businessman Moninder Singh Pandher were arrested in December 2006.

Over the following years, Koli faced prosecution in multiple cases. He was acquitted in 12 cases before the Supreme Court cleared him in the final case in 2025. The court stressed that suspicion could not substitute for proof meeting the legal standard required for a criminal conviction.

Pandher, who had also faced prosecution in cases connected with the killings, was acquitted by the Allahabad High Court in 2023.

Police investigation continues

With the post-mortem report now available, Uttarakhand Police have said the medical findings support suicide and that investigators have found no evidence of third-party involvement so far. The family's earlier concerns, however, had prompted scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding Koli's death.

The police findings and the post-mortem report establish the medical cause of death, while any further questions arising from the family's complaint would depend on the outcome of the investigation.