Nithari case accused Surendra Koli found dead in Haridwar tea stall
Surendra Kumar Koli, the main accused in the 2006 Nithari killings who was acquitted in 2025, was found dead in a tea stall in Haridwar, police said.
A man who had been living in Haridwar under an assumed identity for several weeks was found dead inside a tea stall on Bhupatwala Road, and was later identified as Surendra Kumar Koli, the main accused in the 2006 Nithari killings who was acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2025.
According to the police, the case appears prima facie to be a suicide. No suicide note was recovered from the spot. The body has been sent to the Haridwar District Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Koli had introduced himself locally as Sada Ram, saying he was from Almora and was looking for a room and work. Jai Kashyap, a 28-year-old resident of Roshanabad, said he met the man about 25 days ago at a friend's house and helped him find accommodation and employment. Kashyap said he only learned the man's real identity after his death.
Koli stayed in a room in Roshanabad for a few days, but the arrangement ended when the landlord asked for identity documents. Kashyap said Koli was unwilling to deposit his Aadhaar card and eventually left.
Police sources said Koli had arrived in Haridwar about a month and a half ago. Around that time, he took a job as a security guard at a factory. After leaving that position, an acquaintance, Dharmender Kaushik, helped him secure another guard's job through a firm at an apartment complex, which he also left.
About three days before his death, Koli rented a small tea stall opposite Lal Mata Temple in Bhupatwala in Kaushik's name, according to police sources. He moved his belongings from Roshanabad and began living inside the stall, selling tea and biscuits for two or three days.
Kaushik found him dead around 10 am and informed the police. He told investigators that he found the shop shut and knocked on the shutter without getting a response, initially assuming that Koli, who was reportedly diabetic, was asleep.
A diary recovered from the shop, which appeared to contain Koli's daily expenditure and work-related accounts, has been collected by the police. Shishupal Singh Negi, Circle Officer, Haridwar City, said the matter appeared, prima facie, to be a suicide.
Kashyap said Koli never disclosed that he was in any trouble, though he seemed disturbed by something. "I helped him as a human being," Kashyap said, adding that he often assists people in his area in finding vacant rooms or jobs.