Nithari Breaking: Now the souls of Pinky Sarkar and countless other victims of 2006 Nithari Serial Murders will finally rest in peace.
Categorizing Nithari victim Pinky Sarkar’s case as ‘rarest of the rare,’ a special court in Ghaziabad announced death sentence for businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Surinder Koli. The convicts were allegedly involved in kidnapping, sexual assault, brutal murders, and cannibalism, in the 2006 Nithari murder case. The special court ordered them to be hanged till death, for kidnapping, raping and killing 20-year-old Pinky, pronouncing them the offenders.
The CBI registered Pinky’s case, the sixth in Nithari case series, on 29th December 2006. On 5th October 2006, Koli kidnapped the victim when she was evidence from her office. According to the prosecutor, scientific tests prove that Koli had kidnapped the victim, raped her, killed her, and tampered with the evidence. He beheaded Pinky and disposed of her corpse in a sewer behind Pandher’s house. The police took DNA samples from Pinky’s parents and her skull for a match. Thus, they were able to identify Pinky Sarkar.
Both Koli and Pandher were allegedly involved in 16 other cases involving the disappearance of the slum kids in the surrounding areas. The parents have accused the police of overlooking their complaints. Nevertheless, after the police launched their investigation, they found 19 skulls and bones in a sewer near the Pandher household. The corpses belonged to kids. The police registered a case against Koli and Pandher.
Koli lured the kids using chocolate, sweets, and toys before kidnapping them. Once kidnapped, he killed them and sexually assaulted their corpses. He was accused of necrophilia and cannibalism.
During the CBI investigation, Koli confessed to killing Pinky. Initially, the CBI excluded Pandher’s name from their charge sheet. Pandher was found to be in Dehradun between October 5, 2006, and October 10: the alleged duration of Pinky’s murder.
Nevertheless, the CBI confirmed Pandher’s involvement in the mass killing. They registered 19 cases against the accused. 3 out of these were dropped due to lack of evidence. The other courts pronounced them guilty in 6 cases, prior to the Pinky case. The remaining cases are in various stages of the court trial.
Pandher’s lawyer will move the higher courts against this verdict. Nevertheless, like all other criminals, even Pandher and Koli can’t escape punishment for their deeds. The court’s verdict in the Nithari case has restored the public’s faith in the judiciary.
Featured Picture Credits: Aajtak TV
