A special CBI court in Ghaziabad on Thursday, 19 May, sentenced Surinder Koli, the prime accused in the infamous Nithari murders, to death. This is reportedly his 14th death sentence in connection with the case.
The court also sentenced Koli to life imprisonment under Sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and imposed seven years of imprisonment under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act on the co-accused, Maninder Singh Pandher.
As per officials, Koli and Pandher were accorded fines of Rs 62,000 and Rs 4,000, respectively, The Indian Express reported.
On 29 December 2006, the shocking incident of serial murders was unearthed in Noida's Nithari village, after human remains were discovered from drains and behind the bungalow of Moninder Singh Pandher.
Koli was arrested by the CBI, which filed a chargesheet in 16 cases related to the incident, naming Koli in all of them.
It was alleged that Koli would lure the children to the house, offering them sweets and chocolates, murder them, and have sex with the corpses. He was also accused of cannibalism. He would throw the bones and other body parts into a ditch behind the house.
(With inputs from IANS and The Indian Express.)
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