Nithari serial killings case: Prime accused Moninder Pandher walks out of jail

The prime accused in the sensational Nithari serial killings case Moninder Singh Pandher walked out of Luksar jail in Greater Noida on Friday (October 20), four days after the Allahabad High Court acquitted him.

The High Court on Monday, acquitted 65-year-old Pandher and his domestic helper, Surendra Koli, in the case after noting that the prosecution had failed to prove guilt "beyond reasonable doubt" and that the investigation was botched up.

However, Koli, the key accused, continues to be behind bars in Ghaziabad's Dasna jail. He is serving life imprisonment for killing a 14-year-old girl.

The duo was charged with rape and murder and sentenced to death by a lower court in the killings in Nithari, Noida, that horrified the nation with the details of sexual assault, brutal murder, and hints of possible cannibalism.

"Today, we received the second court order (related to Pandher's release). After completing the due formalities, he was released from jail," Luksar Jail Superintendent Arun Pratap Singh said.

The jail officer had earlier noted that Pandher was lodged in the tuberculosis ward of the prison and was undergoing treatment for the disease.

"He was lodged in the Dasna jail in the past and brought to Luksar jail in June this year," Singh added.

Nithari serial killings case

The Nithari killings, which date back to 2006, came to light with the discovery of the skeletal remains of eight children from a drain behind Pandher's house in Noida, bordering the national capital, on December 29.

Following the discovery of bones, a probe was launched into the matter. Further digging and searches of drains in the area around Pandher's house led to the recovery of more skeletal remains. Most of these remains were those of poor children and young women who had gone missing from the area.

Within 10 days, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case, and its search resulted in the recovery of more bones.

In all, 19 cases were lodged against Pandher and Koli in 2007. The CBI had filed three closure reports due to a lack of evidence. Of the remaining 16 cases, Koli was earlier acquitted in three cases, and his death sentence in one case was commuted to life.

Pandher was initially charged in six cases, according to his lawyer.

He was acquitted in three cases by the Sessions Court earlier. He was acquitted by the Allahabad High Court in the remaining three cases, one in 2009.

(with agency inputs)