India's 'House of Horrors' case may never be solved

Nearly two decades after the chilling discovery of mutilated bodies in drains in a village near Delhi, parents of the victims tell Namita Singh they are losing hope of receiving justice

- By Namita Singh

Nestled between two larger and more modern buildings in a village in northern India sits house number D5, an abandoned bungalow whose garden is now overrun with vines. Owned by a local businessman, the deserted house is spoken about in hushed tones for its role in a grisly tale that is yet to be concluded.

Nearly two decades ago, children and young women began disappearing without a trace from this quiet village of Nithari, located some 20km from India's capital Delhi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Desperate families scoured nearby streets and repeatedly approached the police, but to no avail. As the number of disappearances continued to rise, eventually reaching a total of 19, fear gripped local villagers who started to refuse to leave home after midday.

The horror deepened in the winter of 2006, when mutilated remains of the missing victims began surfacing in drains and sewers near the home of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, owner of D5. The discoveries confirmed what was unfolding: one of India's most horrifying serial murder cases.

Following a lengthy investigation, a special court connected to India's federal investigating agency in 2009 handed death sentences to both Pandher and his domestic aide, Surinder Koli, for their alleged roles in the gruesome killings. Koli faced charges including murder, rape, abduction, and destruction of evidence, while Pandher was accused of involvement in trafficking.

Koli was sentenced to death in 2011 for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl. Nineteen separate cases were eventually filed against the two men. But years later, the cases began to collapse, and in 2023, a court acquitted Pandher, citing insufficient evidence.