Overview
- Police said Koli was found hanging inside a tea stall in Haridwar on Friday, September 18, 2026, and local officers have taken the scene into custody for a probe.
- Authorities say he was identified at the site using an Aadhaar card and that investigators are examining all angles, with preliminary mentions of a possible family-related issue.
- Koli spent nearly 19 years in custody on charges linked to the 2006 Nithari killings and was released after the Supreme Court in November 2025 set aside his final pending conviction and ordered his release if he was not wanted elsewhere.
- Higher courts repeatedly criticised the original investigations for prolonged police custody, confessions recorded under questionable conditions, and weak chain-of-custody for recoveries, findings that produced multiple acquittals and the CBI closure of some cases.
- His death is likely to revive public and judicial scrutiny of investigative and prosecutorial failures in the Nithari case and to focus attention on the long-term human costs for accused people who later win acquittal or release.