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| Tuesday, January 30, 2007 |
| Nithari killings: Pandher, Koli undergo another round of lie-detector tests |
Moninder Singh Pandher and Surender Koli, the main accused in the gruesome killings of children in Nithari village, were put through another round of polygraph tests at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) headquarters in New Delhi.
The CBI reportedly found that the results of the first round of the lie-detector tests were not very conclusive.
Pandher and his servant Koli had been taken to various places in Noida on Monday for corroboration of the revelations made by them. Later, when Pandher was being questioned at the CBI headquarters, his relatives came to meet him, but they were not allowed to do so.
Though he has not been forthcoming during interrogation, it is learnt that the CBI has gathered evidence of Pandher's involvement in the ghastly serial killings.
In another development, some residents of Nithari and the parents of missing children from the nearby areas blocked traffic for about three hours on the road passing by the Noida residence of Pandher, demanding that the investigation be expedited. They expressed dissatisfaction at the manner in which the case was being handled.
NO HEADWAY IN PROBE: Even one month after the macabre killings in Nithari started unfolding, the investigators have gained little or no insight into the minds of the two key accused, Pandher and Koli.
It was after the glaring lapses in the investigation by the Noida police came to light that the case was handed over to the CBI.
But the CBI is reportedly not satisfied with the interrogation the two accused. Neither have they much faith in the narco-analysis report already released.
Not only the CBI but also the forensic experts from Gujarat also suggested that the tests were not done properly.
The two main accused are still hiding the facts. Pandher, the owner of Noida's house of horror, has remained a tough nut to crack.
However, the CBI has now discovered that Pandher had regularly paid money to the Noida police officials to avoid being arrested in the last two years – a crime that can put a few police officers behind bars.Labels: nithari |
posted by a correspondent @ 8:27 PM   |
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| Thursday, January 25, 2007 |
| Nithari horror: Frequent flip-flops by key accused confounds CBI |
The numerous somersaults in their statements done by Moninder Singh Pandher and Surendra Koli, the key accused in the bizarre Nithari serial killings, are perplexing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the case.
Moninder and his other domestic help Surinder are accused of raping and murdering at least 17 children and women at his house in Nithari, near Noida.
The CBI is likely to conduct fresh polygraph tests on the two key accused as the Central investigating agency doubts the veracity of what they have been telling during interrogation.
It has already conducted a lie-detector test on Moninder Singh Pandher's maid, Maya, to ascertain the facts and verify the information given by her about the two accused.
During the polygraph test, the CBI had asked Maya about the statements made by some women and children that she used to stalk them at the behest of Surendra Koli. Some children and women in Nithari claimed that she had tried to lure them into the house.
The CBI had decided to carry out a polygraph test on Maya after she repeatedly changed her statements on whether she had knowledge about the alleged killings in Pandher's D-5 house by his servant Surendra Koli.
Maya had told the CBI that she had no knowledge about the killings and that she had never seen any blood stains in that house.
Maya, who had been detained by the Uttar Pradesh police and later let off, has left for her hometown, fearing public outrage in Nithari.
Meanwhile, in response of an advertisement put out by the CBI to the general public asking them to share information about their missing wards, the agency has been flooded with reports of missing offspring and the number was running into hundreds.
The CBI had also begun extracting the DNA from the skeletons and viscera, exhumed from the D-5 house of Pandher. DNA samples from the parents, who have filed reports about their missing kin, were also being taken.
Meanwhile, the skeletal remains that had been sent to the Forensic Laboratory in Agra have been brought here and handed over to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where the individualisation process of skeletal remains would be done.Labels: nithari |
| posted by a correspondent @ 1:02 AM |
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| Monday, January 22, 2007 |
| Nithari: Pandher and Koli backtrack, deny having murdered anyone |
Moninder Pandher, one of the two key accused in the bizarre murders of several children in Nithari village, Noida, has gone back on his earlier statement.
Pandher now denies having raped or murdered anyone, not even commercial sex worker Payal, NDTV has reported.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating whether the other accused, Surinder Koli, is involved in more murders than the 17 that have been reported.
Koli too has done a complete turnaround on the statement that he gave to the Uttar Pradesh police.
While in CBI custody, Koli said Pandher said they had nothing to do with the rape and murders of many children.
Meanwhile, the CBI's investigations into the serial killings seem to be yielding results.
Surendra Koli, a key accused in the case, on Friday led the CBI investigators to an axe, one of the murder weapons.
The CBI officials, who accompanied Koli to his employer Moninder Singh Pandher's house in Noida and found the axe, which Koli said he had used to kill two of his victims.
In a new and strange development, the CBI is getting a little nervous about the two murder-accused, as Koli has reportedly expressed his desire to kill again.
The CBI is keeping a strict watch on him so that he does not hurt himself or other people.
In fact, the CBI officials are said to be avoiding being alone in the same room with Koli since he is believed to be mentally unstable.
The CBI had earlier said that Koli was a necrophile, as he had admitted to having sex with his victims after they were dead. Now the agency is planning to get psychiatrists to examine Koli's motives for the murders.
The CBI has also sought the services of Dr Lalji Singh, considered to be the father of DNA fingerprint technology in India.
Dr Singh's work had led to the conviction of the accused in the Priyadarshini Mattoo case.
Anyway, there would have to be a long wait for justice to be done in the ghastly Nithari killings case. The case poses a challenge to the CBI because of his intricacies as well as the forensic nature of the investigation.
Fortunately, the CBI is reportedly finding new evidence almost every day.
According to sources, the testimonies of children made to the CBI will be used to further its investigations and primarily to establish Koli's character.
The CBI has also sent 17 skulls and all the bones dug out from the drains near residence of Moninder Singh in Nithari to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, from where it will be sent to Hyderabad for forensic examination.
According to the CBI, samples from the bones and skulls would be used for DNA testing to establish links between the victims and the parents of missing children.
In case if the DNA results do not match the samples of those submitted, the samples will be matched with those of people claiming to be parents. However, there's a problem – the DNA tests are accurate only for bones less than two years old.Labels: nithari |
| posted by a correspondent @ 3:30 AM |
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| Wednesday, January 17, 2007 |
| CBI team revisits Nithari killings site |
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team visited Nithari, Noida, the scene of ghastly killings of children, again on Tuesday.
The visit comes a day after more bones were recovered by investigators near the house of Moninder Singh Pandher, the main accused in the case.
The bones have been sent for forensic analysis.
The team will also investigate whether there were any lapses on the part of the Uttar Pradesh police.
Pandher and his domestic help Surender are accused of raping and murdering at least 17 women and children.
The drain outside Moninder's house was cleaned in search of vital clues.
Over the last few days, the CBI team has found several things that were overlooked by the Noida police, which had been investigating the Nithari killings case.
The CBI team found body parts chopped and packed into several small bundles, human bones and blood samples from Moninder's house.
CBI sources say the bundles could contain parts of the children's torsos, which were not found with the skeletal remains dug up earlier, leading to the speculation as to whether there was an organ trade angle to the killings.
The CBI team is also looking at why complaints of children going missing from Nithari were ignored by the local police over a long period and also why no evidence was collected, even from the house where the murders allegedly took place.
Moreover, there is the possibility of the Uttar Pradesh police tampering with the scene of the crime.
The CBI will investigate whether the police recovered the evidence in a "heavy-handed manner," using unskilled workers and heavy equipment.Labels: nithari |
| posted by a correspondent @ 10:23 AM |
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| Nithari: Pandher admits he knew of rape, killings |
Moninder Singh Pandher, the main accused in the bizarre killings of children in Nithari village, Noida, has, for the first time since his arrest, confronted his co-accused and servant Surendra Koli face to face and indicated that he had been aware of the ongoing sexual assault and killings.
Investigators said Pandher and Koli are being interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly sexually assaulting and murdering dozens of people.
Pandher has maintained, since his arrest over two weeks ago, that he had no knowledge of his servant's alleged involvement in the serial killings.
"This is a big breakthrough for us. Until now, Pandher had never admitted having any knowledge about Koli's activities," a senior CBI official said. "To take the investigation forward, it was decided to bring them face to face," he said.
Meanwhile, more bags containing human flesh and body parts were recovered from Nithari. Investigators suspect that some bodies might have been buried in the house itself.
On the basis of the statements of Pandher and Koli, investigators also began to weed out contradictions in their versions.
The Noida police have said that Koli has confessed to his involvement in the sexual assault and deaths, but Pandher has denied any knowledge of the whole incident.
Several employees at Pandher's industrial-equipment factory in Noida were questioned about Pandher's personal and professional life, and his frequent foreign trips.Labels: nithari |
| posted by a correspondent @ 10:18 AM |
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| Tuesday, January 16, 2007 |
| Nithari killings: More lapses of local police come to light |
As the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the ghastly mass killings in Nithari village in Noida progresses, more evidence pointing to the lapses of the local police are coming to light.
Over the last few of days, the CBI team found a number of things which had been overlooked by the Noida police investigating the Nithari killings.
With the discovery of several bundles containing parts of human torsos, the CBI investigators have said they believe it was unlikely that Moninder Singh Pandher and Surendra Koli had links to any illegal organ trade business.
Pandher and Koli are the main accused in the gruesome murders of nearly 22 children in Noida's Nithari village.
The CBI came across body parts chopped and packed into several small bundles, more human bones and blood samples from the house of Moninder Singh Pandher, the main accused. young women and children being kidnapped, sexually assaulted and butchered to death in Pandher’s D-5 bungalow in Sector 31.
CBI sources say the bundles may contain parts of the children’s torsos, which had not been found with the skeletal remains dug up earlier.
This has led to speculation as to whether there was an organ trade angle to the mass killings of children. Establishing the veracity of this speculation may take a while because the forensic experts want the bundles thoroughly cleaned before they are opened.
Anyway, it is getting more and more clear that the investigation by the Noida police into the case so far has missed some crucial evidence. However, R K S Rathore, SSP of Noida, says the Noida police had limited time to collect evidence. “We were also limited by the law and order situation in Nithari,” he said.
The CBI team, while making it clear that they are not engaged in any witch-hunt in the Nithari killings case, some of the lapses of the local police have become quite evident and that if the lapses become very obvious, the central agency will register a case against the Uttar Pradesh police.
The organ trade theory had been put strengthened after the Uttar Pradesh police said they had recovered surgical implements and knives from Pandher’s house.
A senior police officer had even said that the manner in which the bodies were disposed was the same way in which hospitals got rid of their waste, “showing clinical precision in the entire operation.”
The local police investigators had also said the bodies were neatly stored in packets and probably treated with chemicals to prevent accumulation of bacteria and emission of foul smell.
After interrogating Koli, the CBI has come to the prima facie conclusion that Pandher is a psychopath who used to carry out the killings, a source said.
However, depsite the results of the narco-analysis test, in which Koli said that his employer, Pandher, knew nothing about the murders, the CBI is not yet ruling out Pandher’s role in the grisly murders.Labels: nithari |
| posted by a correspondent @ 1:01 AM |
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| Saturday, January 13, 2007 |
| CBI team lands in Nithari, starts looking for clues |
Two weeks after the Uttar Pradesh police dug out 17 skeletons of young children and women from a bungalow at Nithari village, near Noida, Uttar Pradesh, a team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) landed at the residence of Moninder Singh Pandher, prime suspect in the serial killings, on Friday. The CBI team will look for vital clues in the case relating to the ghastly sexual abuse and murder of several children and women. The 30-member-strong CBI team, including forensic experts, visited Nithari early on Friday and surveyed the scene of the crime and the drain from which the skeletal remains of the children had been recovered. The CBI team, led by DIG M K Narayanan and Joint Director Arun Kumar, also inspected the adjoining buildings. Senior officials of the Noida police accompanied the team. The Noida police had recovered 17 skulls and several bone pieces from the drain and the bungalow premises on December 29, 2006, and afterwards. The CBI has set up over a dozen teams to investigate every aspect of the grisly crime, following a formal request from the Uttar Pradesh Government. The central investigating agency is being assisted by forensic experts from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, the Andhra Pradesh Forensic Laboratory, and the Central Forensic and Sciences Laboratory in conducting tests on the recovered bones. The CBI team will also examine if there were any lapses on the part of the local police. The agency has already taken Pandher, the key accused, and his domestic help Surendra Koli into its custody for a fortnight. The CBI sleuths may question the staff at nearby hospitals and nursing homes in the light of reports that the Nithari killings were possibly linked to a human organ racket. The agency is also likely to conduct a series of DNA tests to identify the victims. UP ASSEMBLY SESION: The new session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly will be convened on January 18. The session comes after four Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) ministers walked out of the Mulayam Singh Government on Tuesday, led by RLD chief Ajit Singh. Mulayam Singh has 225 MLAs with him in the 402-member House, 23 more than the majority mark. The government has been drawing criticism from all quarters for the worsening law and order situation in the state. Labels: nithari |
| posted by a correspondent @ 5:49 AM |
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| Monday, January 08, 2007 |
| Sonia visits Nithari, lambasts UP Govt on law and order |
Criticising severely the Mulayam Singh Yadav Government in Uttar Pradesh for the poor law and order situation in the State, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said on Saturday that the Chief Minister sought a CBI inquiry into the Nithari killings only after pressure mounted from her party.
Sonia Gandhi, who visited Nithari early on Saturday, launched a stinging attack on the Samajwadi Party Government for the “absence of law and order in the State.”
“There is no law and order. You can see for yourselves the situation. Something or the other is happening everyday,” she said.
The UPA chairperson said the Mulayam Singh Yadav Government had initially refused to order a CBI inquiry into the “cruel and heinous killings” of at least 17 children and women in Nithari allegedly by businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Surender Koli.
However, the Congress chief did not reply to questions on imposing President’s rule in Uttar Pradesh.The Congress had on Friday said that it would not make any formal demand for imposition of President’s rule in the State as it was focussing on a “huge human problem.”
Sonia Gandhi reached the hamlet of Nithari on Saturday morning and met about 15 families of the victims as well as village elders besides inspecting the areas adjacent to the infamous D-5, Sector 31, residence of main suspect Moninder, including the drain from where the skeletons were found.
She spent about 30 minutes with the relatives of the victims and inquired them about the entire incident. The families, most of them relatives of migrant labourers, complained to her about the Uttar Pradesh Government’s callous handling of the case.
Asked why she was visiting the village over a week after the incident first came to light, Sonia Gandhi said: “We had sent the PCC president (Salman Khursheed) and the Minister of State for Home (Sri Prakash Jaiswal) from Delhi. Now I am here.”
The Congress president was accompanied by AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot.
Interestingly, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has so far not visited the nondescript village of Nithari, which has suddenly shot into national attention.Labels: nithari, Society |
| posted by a correspondent @ 7:19 AM |
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