Nithari case accused Surendra Koli was cremated in Haridwar after he was found hanging in a tea stall. The case has raised fresh questions over whether Koli died by suicide or was murdered weeks after his acquittal.
Surendra Koli, the main accused in the 2006 Nithari serial killings, was cremated in Haridwar on Saturday in the presence of his family members, police said. His body was handed over to the family after a post-mortem examination, and the last rites were performed at the Kharkhari cremation ground.
Police are awaiting the post-mortem report and suspect that Koli may have died by suicide after he was found hanging in his tea stall in Haridwar on Friday. At the same time, they have started an investigation into his activities since he arrived in the city and the circumstances leading to his death.
Those present at the cremation included Koli’s brother Harish Koli, his 20-year-old son Shivam, and former zila panchayat member Narayan Singh Rawat. Speaking to reporters after the last rites, Rawat called for an impartial police investigation and said it must be determined whether Koli died by suicide or was murdered.
Haridwar Deputy Superintendent of Police Shishupal Singh Negi told PTI that police have also begun examining Koli’s movements after they found that he had been living in Haridwar under a false identity for the past four to five months.
During this period, he worked as a security guard at two or three places, but kept changing jobs because he feared his real identity would be exposed when he was asked to provide identification documents.
Negi said police are also questioning the people who employed Koli and those who helped him rent a tea stall. According to the police, Koli had rented the stall from a man named Anil Sharma only four days before his death, using the alias Sadaram.
His real identity came to light only after his death, when police found his Aadhaar card and voter ID during a search. Police have denied reports that there was any dispute between Sharma and Koli over the shop.