India, Sept. 19 -- Surendra Koli, the man at the centre of the grisly 2006 Nithari killings who spent nearly two decades in jail before being acquitted in all 13 cases, was found dead in his tea stall in Haridwar on Friday, police said. He was 50.

Koli, who worked as a domestic help at the Noida house of businessman and co-accused Moninder Singh Pandher, was found with a noose around his neck but no suicide note was recovered, police added.

Haridwar city deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Shishupal Singh Negi said that police arrived at the scene after information about a body lying in the shop in the Saptarishi area. They found a noose tied around Koli's neck, and another piece of the rope tied to the ceiling fan.

Negi said it was ...