A rope was found hanging from a doorframe inside a tea stall on Sapt Sarovar Road, opposite Lalmata Temple, when Sapt Rishi police arrived on 28 September 2026. The victim was identified as Surinder Koli, known for the Nithari killings case that shook the nation a decade ago. Police said the body was found hanging from a heavy rope, but no suicide note was left behind.
Koli had been acquitted of all charges by the Supreme Court on 15 March 2025, after a long legal battle that saw him sentenced to death in 2010. The court ruled that the evidence was insufficient to meet the 'beyond reasonable doubt' standard, a decision that has left families of the missing children in turmoil.
A tea vendor who had worked beside Koli for three months, Vinod Sharma, told reporters he had seen Koli tense and withdrawn in the days before his death. "He used to keep to himself, rarely talked to anyone," Sharma said. The families of victims have called for an independent inquiry, arguing that his acquittal was a miscarriage of justice.
Sapt Rishi police will file a case under Sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code, and the investigation will be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The next hearing is scheduled for 12 October 2026, when the court will decide whether to prosecute the accused for murder and suicide.