No One Killed the Children at Nithari?

The verdict in the dreaded 2006 Nithari killings is out — and no one is the culprit. The reason? The murder is known; the murderer isn’t. The ‘house of horror’, as the bungalow at D-5, Noida Sector 31, was called when human remains were found behind its white walls, shook the nation — not just for the cruelty of the crime, but for the fact that it unfolded in the heart of an upscale neighbourhood, unnoticed until the Pandora’s box finally opened. At least sixteen skulls and sacks of bones were found in a drain in December 2006. What followed was even more horrific — a trail of rape, murder, and unimaginable cannibalism.On November 11, the Supreme Court acquitted “Nithari monster” Surendra Koli - the prime accused who had once admitted to killing and feeding

on children and later retracted his confession - in the last remaining case against him. While acquitting Koli, the Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai observed: “The offences in Nithari were heinous, and the suffering of the families is beyond measure. It is a matter of deep regret that despite prolonged investigation, the identity of the actual perpetrator has not been established in a manner that meets legal standards. Criminal law does not permit conviction on conjecture or on a hunch. Suspicion, however grave, cannot replace proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”Also Read: What Happened At Noida’s ‘House Of Horrors’ - A TimelineBy law, the judgment is right. But what remains is a haunting vacuum — and the pain of those parents who lost their children to this heinous crime and, 19 years later, are left with nothing but a question: If not Koli, then who killed their children?

A ‘House of Horror’ and a Trail Gone ‘Cold’

Nithari wasn’t just a crime scene; it was an open wound — and it still is. The killings came to light in 2006 after human body parts and children's clothing were found inside a sewer in front of Surendra Koli’s employer, Moninder Singh Pandher’s house, in the upscale area of Noida’s Sector 31. At least 19 young women and children were allegedly raped, killed, and dismembered, police said, adding that the murders took place inside Pandher's house, where Koli worked as a servant.The cops, who were then accused of negligence in the case, alleged that the children — whose remains were found hidden in bags — were lured by Koli, who offered them sweets and chocolates, then raped, killed, and allegedly even fed on.Later, the case was investigated by the CBI, which registered 19 cases against the two men – Surender Koli and Moninder Singh Pandher, known for throwing extravagant parties for his friends. Koli was charged with murder, abduction, rape, organ trafficking, and destruction of evidence; Pandher was also charged with immoral trafficking. The two were arrested soon after. On October 16, 2023, the Allahabad High Court acquitted Koli in 12 cases and Pandher in two due to lack of proper evidence. Koli and Pandher had earlier been awarded the death penalty in cases related to rape and murder, among others, by a special CBI court in Ghaziabad. Pandher was accused in six cases — acquitted by the trial court in three and by the High Court in one. Koli’s employer was also convicted under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, and in one other Nithari killing case, though no appeal was filed against that verdict. The High Court, however, noted that Pandher had already served the sentence prescribed for that conviction.In July this year, the Supreme Court dismissed all appeals filed by the CBI and the victims’ families challenging Pandher’s acquittals. Several questions were also raised against the CBI probe. Meanwhile, Surender Koli remained in prison, as he was still serving a life sentence handed down by the High Court in one of the remaining cases.On November 11, 2025, Koli was acquitted in the last case linked to the rape and killing of a 15-year-old girl. While acquitting Koli, the court observed, "Knives and an axe were exhibited without proof of blood, tissue or hair consistent with use in the alleged crimes. There was no credible chain of custody or expert testimony establishing that a domestic help with no medical training could perform the precise dismemberment described."

Justice Delivered by Law, Grieving Parents Left Without Closure

For the parents of the missing and the murdered, justice has long been procedural, not emotional. Each verdict, each review, each stay order — a step away from ‘insaaf’ they thought they would get. “How can both be innocent?” one grieving father asked after Tuesday’s verdict. “Was there a ghost in that house that killed our children?” The question isn’t rhetorical. It is the voice of hopelessness and despair. They fought for their innocent children for nearly two decades, witnessing trials, suspensions, dates, and acquittals and ending with nothing – not a single name, not a single moment of truth.The Supreme Court has given its verdict — rightly, carefully, constitutionally. But in the echo of that legality remains the ache: the victims of the Nithari killings are still without a killer.

The 4 Unanswered Questions

1. Why were missing-person complaints dismissed for years before the first FIR in October 2006?
2. Why were crucial pieces of evidence mishandled, the crime scene contaminated before it was even secured?
3. How did fabricated confessions and contradictory remand papers survive through so many layers of scrutiny?
4. And why, after nineteen years, do the parents still have only a question — not an answer?