New Delhi: In early 2006, authorities in the Nithari area of South Delhi began receiving reports of several children going missing without a trace. What initially appeared to be a series of unrelated disappearances soon took a devastating turn when a local woman filed a complaint alleging that her minor daughter had been taken by a man matching the description of Surinder Koli, a former watchman who had previously worked at the house where the girl lived.
Police traced Koli to a bungalow in the G-Block of Nithari, where he was residing along with his neighbor Moninder Singh Pandher, a retired bank manager. When investigators searched the premises, they made a gruesome discovery in the basement of the bungalow — scattered human skeletal remains, including bones of children.
The find sent shockwaves across the nation and triggered a massive investigation. Over the following months, forensic teams recovered bones from multiple locations on the property, including behind the house and in concealed pits. As the investigation deepened, Koli confessed to the crimes and reportedly guided police to additional burial sites, leading to the recovery of remains belonging to dozens of victims.
The case revealed a disturbing pattern of abduction targeting poor and vulnerable children from nearby areas, many of whom came from marginalized backgrounds and whose disappearances had initially gone unnoticed. Investigators found that Koli used his position as a domestic help to gain access to children, while Pandher allegedly provided a secluded location for the atrocities.
After a lengthy legal battle, both accused were convicted in 2018. The trial court handed down death sentences to both men, which were later upheld by the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court. The Nithari case became one of the most widely studied criminal investigations in Indian history, exposing critical failures in child protection systems and policing mechanisms.
