Nithari: Truth, Lies & Murder, a new discovery+ docu-series on the 2006 Noida serial murders that shook the nation, has arrived days after the Supreme Court acquitted the prime accused Surinder Koli.
Koli walked out of the Luksar district jail in Greater Noida on 12 November, nearly two decades after his arrest in the infamous case, which surfaced when skeletal remains of eight children were discovered behind the residence of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher in Noida on December 29, 2006.
Koli, who had been employed at Pandher’s house, was accused of abduction, rape, mutilation and disposal of victims’ remains in a drain. In total, 19 FIRs had been filed in connection with alleged crimes against 19 girls in this case.
The perfect timing
For director Deepak Chaturvedi, this timing feels right. The three-part docu-series — released on 20 November — was already complete before the verdict.
The Supreme Court’s ruling has not, in any way, influenced the final edits of the series. It has only reinforced the themes the team had built the documentary around, Deepak told The Telegraph Online.
Deepak Chaturvedi Sourced by the correspondent
“I can say with a certain degree of satisfaction that the Supreme Court’s decision has reinforced some of the themes and questions we have raised in the documentary. If we want to find answers that stand the test of judicial scrutiny, we need to ask the right questions,” the director said.
The Nithari killings have been covered extensively, but the story has not truly been “uncovered” with all its coverage and “Bollywoodesque” adaptations, Deepak added. There are several layers and details that have never been reported by the media, leaving the public unaware.
Uncovering the heart of the crime
The heinous act has been heavily adapted into films and series — the latest one being Vikrant Massey’s 2024 film Sector 36. Yet Chaturvedi believes the truth behind the case continues to remain in the dark.
“There are many telling details that were never reported,” he said. “What happened the night before the excavations began on 29 December, 2006? Who is Moninder Singh Pandher truly, what is his story? The real story of how Surinder Koli was arrested. Do we really understand Surinder Koli?”
The team has accessed previously unseen police diaries, confession tapes and case files, which were sourced, verified and corroborated as required through court documents and fieldwork.
Moninder Singh Pandher speaks for the first time
One of the key highlights of the series is the first-ever interview of Moninder Singh Pandher. Deepak met with Pandher, his family and lawyer for the first time nearly three years ago when he was still in jail. After the Allahabad High Court acquitted him in October 2023 and he was out of jail, the case went into appeal in the Supreme Court.
Earlier, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court had sentenced both Koli and Pandher to death in multiple cases. On appeal, the Allahabad High Court in October 2023 acquitted Koli in 12 cases and Pandher in two. Koli’s death sentence was commuted to life in January 2015.
Spotlight on the systemic failures
The series aims to “turn the spotlight back on the systemic failures that allowed horror to hide in plain sight”.
“By system failure, we just don’t just mean the investigation agencies or the courts. The media is also an integral part of it. We, the citizens, are just as much a part of the system and its failure,” Deepak explained. “Nithari has exposed our limitations as to how we handle missing people’s cases, how
we handle crime, how we conduct investigations, how we collect evidence, pressures that cops work under, what we see as ‘newsworthy’, how we treat the accused,” he added.
The families’ grief handled with care
Nithari: Truth, Lies & Murder also takes a look back on the families of the victims who have lived with the trauma for nearly two decades. Deepak spent significant time with them before filming, not only to talk about the tragedy but also to simply chat and be around them.
“They’ve lived on the fringes for years, lost their children, faced an indifferent system, discovered their remains, and still have no accountability,” the director said. “This complex trauma is embedded in their version of events and their stories. We had to be extremely sensitive.”
A story long sensationalised
The narrative of the documentary is hopefully evocative and immersive without falling into the trap of sensationalism as is often the case with true-crime shows, Deepak shared. In that regard, he also pointed out the media’s role in the case as a double-edged sword.
“While some journalists did yeoman’s service in pursuing the missing children’s story and keeping it in the news, there were several others that fell into TRP-driven sensationalist trap that ultimately overwhelmed the investigation and the trial at many points,” Deepak added.
What should viewers take away?
Deepak hopes that people watching the series are able to think beyond the horrifying details of the crime and dissect the systems in place — from policing to courts, media and the foregrounding of mental health. Ultimately, he said, all lies have to return to truth after their little performance — something which the docu-series aims to capture.