Police in Haridwar discovered Koli’s body hanging from a rope inside a tea stall on 12 November 2025, the same day the Supreme Court had acquitted him of the Nithari charges.
The 41‑year‑old former domestic helper had been convicted in 2007 for abducting, raping and murdering children in Noida’s Nithari, but the Allahabad High Court and later the Supreme Court overturned the verdict in 2023 and 2025 on grounds of insufficient evidence.
After his release, Koli returned to Uttarakhand, found work as a tea vendor in Haridwar and lived with his wife and daughter, while his mother in Almora struggled to support the family.
The police have opened a case file, secured the tea stall and are conducting a forensic examination of the rope, the stall’s interior and the surrounding area for signs of foul play or evidence of suicide.
Haridwar Police Inspector Ramesh Gupta told reporters, "The scene is being treated as a suicide, but we are leaving no stone unturned." Koli’s daughter, who has never spoken publicly before, called the investigation "injustice turned into a nightmare."
The investigation will now be handed over to the Uttarakhand State Crime Investigation Department, which will decide whether to file charges under the Indian Penal Code for potential murder or other offences.