Nithari accused Pandher claims innocence in CBI court

GHAZIABAD: Moninder Singh Pandher, an accused in Nithari serial killings, on Tuesday claimed before a court that he was innocent and was not present at his Noida residence when his servant carried out the gruesome murders.

Appearing on his behalf, Pandher's counsel, Dev Raj pleaded before special CBI judge Rama Jain that his client had no knowledge about the doings of his servant, a claim which has been substantiated by the CBI in its charge-sheet.

The judge was hearing arguments in the murder case of Rimpa Haldar in which the court had decided suo motu to frame charges against Pandher despite not being named by the CBI in the charge-sheet.

The court, while deciding this, had said a witness had given statement before it stating that Pandher was present at the time when Haldar was hacked to death by his servant Surinder Kohli.

The court will hear the defence argument of the servant tomorrow.

At least 19 skulls were found from the drain adjacent to Pandher's residence. Sixteen of them were of children, who had gone missing over a period of one year.

After DNA tests, one of them was found to be that of Haldar, who had gone missing on February 2, 2005.

Kohli and Pandher were arrested by the police on December 29, 2006 for the killings and have been in jail since then.