After walking out of prison following his acquittal in November 2025 in the Nithari serial murders case, Surendra Koli spent the next 10 months moving between Delhi and Uttarakhand, looking for work and accommodation before he began living inside a tea stall in Haridwar days before his death.

On Saturday, his family performed his last rites at Haridwar’s Karkari Ghat on the banks of the Ganga.

Koli, 53, was found dead around 11 am on Friday inside the tea stall he had rented in Bhupatwala, opposite Lal Mata Temple in the Sapt Sarovar area. Police said he appeared to have died by suicide, though his elder brother, Chandan Koli, 54, said the family suspects foul play.

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Koli walked out of prison in November last year after spending almost two decades behind bars. After his release, he travelled to Bangalore and Chennai, where, Chandan said, some people approached him about making a documentary about his life.

By June, Koli had returned to Delhi and was staying with Chandan, his family and his son Shivam, 20.

By June, Koli had returned to Delhi and was staying with Chandan, his family and his son Shivam, 20.

“He was looking for a job in Delhi but was constantly saying that he was unable to find one as he was scared that his identity would be revealed and no one would give him a job,” he said.

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In June, Koli travelled with his family to their ancestral village in Mangru Kal in Almora. The house had remained vacant after their mother died in 2022 and was later broken down. The family returned to Delhi on June 18.

Koli subsequently went to Roshanabad in Haridwar district in July.

According to police sources, he initially tried to find accommodation there but could not produce an Aadhaar card required for police verification. He then found work as a security guard at a factory. After leaving that job, an acquaintance, Dharmender Kaushik, helped him secure another security job at an apartment through a private firm, police sources said. Koli left that job as well.

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Koli also met 28-year-old Jai Kashyap in Roshanabad. Kashyap helped him find accommodation and work.

Koli introduced himself to Kashyap as “Sada Ram” from Almora.

Police said he appeared to have died by suicide, though his elder brother, Chandan Koli, 54, said the family suspects foul play.

Koli had been in Haridwar for around one-and-a-half months before his death, according to the police and the people who knew him.

Around three days before his death, he rented a small tea stall in Bhupatwala using Kaushik’s identity documents, according to police sources. He brought his belongings from Roshanabad and began staying inside the stall.

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He had been running the tea stall for only two or three days.

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A diary containing what appeared to be his daily expenses and work-related accounts was found inside the shop and collected by police.

People who had been in contact with Koli said he was short of money during his final days.

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Narayan Singh Rawat, an Almora resident who had known Koli for around 15 years, said Koli had been seeking financial help after his release.

Rawat met Koli in Haridwar on September 7 after Koli called him. He also met Kaushik and Kashyap.

“Very recently, before he took up the tea stall, he asked me to send him Rs 15,000. I kept sending him money from time to time, whenever he needed,” Rawat said.

A day before Koli’s death, Kaushik told Rawat that Koli did not have enough money to buy supplies for the tea stall.

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On Thursday night, Kaushik called Rawat around 11.30 pm, and again around midnight, telling him Koli was upset. Rawat said Koli had apparently tried to contact him but could not because his phone did not have sufficient balance to make calls.

Rawat did not answer the calls.

The next morning, Koli was found dead inside the tea stall. Police and forensic teams examined the shop and collected material from the premises. On Saturday, after Koli’s post-mortem at Haridwar District Hospital, his body was taken to Karkari Ghat. His son Shivam performed the last rites, while his brother Chandan said Koli was “acquitted but could not prove his innocence in society”.