Premium

Sector 36 real story: What happened to Nithari killings accused Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder Koli?

Sector 36, starring Vikrant Massey, appears to be based on the 2006 case of Nithari killings. Here is what happened after gruesome killings, and where are Surinder Koli and Moninder Singh Pandher now.

Moninder Singh Pandher and Surinder Koli were accused in the 2006 Nithari killings case. (Photo: Express Archives)

Vikrant Massey and Deepak Dobriyal-starrer Sector 36, which is now streaming on Netflix, released recently and while the film claims that it is based on several real-life crimes, the one that seems to be an prominent source material here is the 2006 Nithari killings.The film fictionalises the case where Noida residents Surinder Koli and Moninder Singh Pandher were accused of abducting and raping children from the nearby village of Nithari, as per the local police authorities. They were also accused of committing acts of cannibalism.

In the film, Vikrant plays a house help named Prem Singh, who kidnaps, rapes and dismembers children from the nearby village. Akash Khurana plays his boss Balbir Singh Bassi and it is suggested that he has a role to play in the crime but the film explicitly does not accuse him of the same crimes as Prem. In real life, Moninder (the boss) and Surinder (the house help) were both arrested in December 2006 after human remains were found near their residence in Nithari.

Sector 36, which fictionalises the events of the time, suggests that Bassi was acquitted soon after because he was well connected with senior police officials and was allowed to walk free and Prem became the sole accused in the case. The film also suggests that there was an organ trading racket at play here which was a money-making scheme for Bassi. Sector 36 also suggests that the police officer investigating the case was murdered by hired hitmen while he was collecting evidence against Bassi.

Story continues below this ad

ALSO READ | IC 814 Captain Devi Sharan reveals hijacker Ibrahim Athar aka Chief hugged him and cried, names the most dangerous one: ‘Looked like he would kill’

In real life, both Koli and Pandher were acquitted by the Allahabad High Court in 2023 for lack of evidence. As per a report in The Indian Express, Pandher’s lawyer Manisha Bhandari said that Koli was acquitted in 12 cases and Pandher was acquitted in two cases against him. Koli was the sole accused in 10 cases and in two others, he was the co-accused with Pandher. The bench of Justices Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Syed Aftab Husain Rizvi overturned the death sentences that were announced in 2017 and said that the investigators opted for the “easy course” and implicated the “poor servant” instead of checking all aspects of the case. CBI took over the case in January 2007.

“The investigation otherwise is botched up and basic norms of collecting evidence have been brazenly violated. It appears to us that the investigation opted for the easy course of implicating a poor servant of the house by demonising him, without taking due care of probing more serious aspects of possible involvement of organized activity of organ trading,” the court said. The court also questioned the recording of Koli’s confession which was done after 60 days of police remand where in he wasn’t provided and legal or medical aid. Soon after Allahabad HC cleared him of all charges, Pander walked free. Koli, however, is still in jail, as he serves life term for one of the cases.

Sector 36 is directed by Aditya Nimbalkar.

Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.

‘Conduct does not inspire confidence’: SC to Justice Yashwant Varma in cash discovery case

India3 hr ago

The Supreme Court questioned Justice Varma's conduct and reserved its order on his petition challenging the inquiry procedure and Chief Justice's recommendation for removal. Senior advocate Sibal argued that the recommendation was unconstitutional and would set a dangerous precedent. The inquiry panel found Varma guilty of misconduct for controlling storeroom with large amount of undisclosed cash.

View all shorts

More Entertainment

Entertainment Ahaan Panday's 'larger-than-life' debut project was cancelled by YRF, Aditya Chopra told him to look for work elsewhere: 'Sab guroor aur pride chali gayi'