Overview
- Koli was found hanging inside the rented tea stall he had opened in Haridwar and was discovered on September 18, with his body later cremated after a post‑mortem.
- The autopsy recorded asphyxia from ante‑mortem hanging and noted a ligature mark, hyoid‑bone injury, petechial haemorrhages and blood around the mouth and nose, findings that forensic officials say are consistent with hanging.
- Uttarakhand and Haridwar police say their evidence review, including CCTV and preliminary forensic checks, has produced no sign so far of another person’s involvement and investigators are also checking call records.
- Police have opened inquiries into possible motives such as financial hardship and personal stress after Koli, who had been living under a concealed identity, borrowed money to start the stall days before his death.
- Koli’s death and the autopsy result reopen public scrutiny of the long‑running Nithari case — Koli was acquitted by the Supreme Court in November 2025 after nearly two decades in jail — and the family has demanded a high‑level independent probe that could prompt fresh review of investigative steps.