MS Pandher & Surinder Koli

Horror and nausea were served on the morning of December 29, 2006, with every news channel focussing on a haul of human skulls near House Number D-5 in NOIDA's Sector 31, near Nithari village. It was revealed that all the skulls were of children. The owner of D-5, Mohinder Singh Pandher, and his man Friday, Surinder Koli, were arrested and a macabre drama unfolded.

The anger of the working class people of Nithari village led to the case being transferred to CBI. As many as 17 skeletons were found and 19 cases of murder registered against the master and his servant. The servant confessed his guilt and the master was acquitted in case after case. Suspected to be a case of trade in human organs, it became a gory tale of sex, violence and cannibalism.

When a TSI team re-visited the scene, the bereaved wondered how Pandher could claim innocence. Karambir Singh, father of a victim, Madhu, said: “These serial killings pointed to trade in human organs”. 

The torsos of the skeletons found were missing. Jhabbulal, the father of Jyoti who was a victim, says that on December 29, 2006, he and other parents found the severed head of Nanda, wife of Dilbahadur Shahi. A part of the face and one eye were missing but there was no other scratch or mark.

“It could not have been a case or rape,” says Jhabbulal. Pappu , father of eight-year-old Rachna, another victim, said when they went to the court, they were threatened by Pandher’s son in front of officials. Residents of Nithari said they had been threatened several times and some of the bereaved, including James Thapa, Shahi and Gopal Haldar, had fled NOIDA in fear. 

Usha Thakur, a social activist, says: “When the police were taking Pandher away he had said to mediapersons that if he went to jail many important heads would roll.” Khalid Khan, counsel for the victims, said Pandher and Koli had been convicted for the murder of Rimpa Haldar but the HC acquitted Pandher.  

Click here for more forgotten stories