Koli’s identity immediately brought the Nithari case back into public focus. The Nithari killings came to light in Noida in 2006 after human remains were discovered near the house of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher. Koli, who worked as a domestic help for Pandher, was arrested and became one of the central figures in the investigation.
He faced cases connected to multiple alleged killings and was initially convicted in several matters. His legal battle continued for years.
However, his legal status had changed significantly before his death.
The Allahabad High Court acquitted Koli in 12 cases in 2023, and the Supreme Court subsequently dealt with the final remaining case. On November 11, 2025, a three-judge Supreme Court bench comprising then Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices Surya Kant and Vikram Nath allowed Koli’s curative petition and set aside his conviction in the last pending case. The court directed that he be released if he was not required in another case.
That legal history is important because Koli was not facing a conviction in the Nithari cases at the time of his death.
His acquittal brought to an end the last remaining conviction against him in the Nithari-related prosecutions.
From prison release to a new life in Haridwar
Koli’s death comes less than a year after his release from prison following the Supreme Court’s final acquittal.
After spending years in custody and remaining at the centre of one of India’s most widely followed criminal cases, he had moved to Haridwar and apparently attempted to establish a new life.
There, he worked in security and later tried his hand at running a tea shop.
His death has raised questions not only about the circumstances of his final days but also about the life he was leading after his release.
Police investigating every possible angle
Police have not publicly established a single confirmed reason for the death.
The preliminary investigation points towards suicide. Police are examining statements from Kaushik and others who had interacted with Koli, checking the information surrounding his employment and recent business venture and looking into his financial difficulties and reported phone argument.
(With inputs from agencies)