Moninder Singh Pandher, the co-accused in the 2006 Nithari killings case, was Friday released from a Greater Noida jail, days after Allahabad High court acquitted him, and prime accused Surinder Koli.
Both Pandher and Koli were awarded death penalty after their conviction in the sensational case of rape, and murder of several children between 2005 and 2006 in Noida’s Nithari village.
However, the High Court cleared them of all the charges citing lack of evidence and a botched up probe. The high court acquittal meant there death sentences also stood cancelled and Pandher was freed from jail.
Advertisement
Koli, however, will continue to serve life-sentence following his conviction in one case.
The shocking case came to light after locals found body parts of a missing child from a drain near Pandher’s house. An investigation was launched and police recovered body parts of several more children from Pandher’s house.
It was alleged that Koli, who worked as domestic help at Pandher’s house, would lure children to the “house of horror”, where they both raped and murdered them. Allegations of cannibalism were also made against Koli and Pandher.
The police said that the accused would rape the children and cut their body into small parts before dumping them in the nearby drain to destroy evidence.
The Central Bureau of Investigation took over the case after police claimed several more children were raped and murder. During the investigation, Koli had reportedly confessed raping dead victims and eating their body parts.
Advertisement
