The tragic story of Nand Lal, the father whose relentless search for his missing daughter exposed the horrific Nithari serial killings, has reached a heartbreaking conclusion nearly two decades later. Lal died at 66 with his story unresolved, while the two men once branded as the "Butters of Nithari" were acquitted of all charges by the Supreme Court.
The Disappearance That Shook a Nation
In 2006, Nand Lal's world shattered when his 22-year-old daughter Payal vanished after visiting Moninder Singh Pandher's bungalow D-5 in Nithari. Payal had been introduced to Pandher through a woman named Neelam, who promised to help her find employment. On May 7, 2006, Payal told her father she had been called to Pandher's residence by his domestic worker, Surinder Koli.
She left home at 4 pm wearing a salwar suit with a sky-blue dupatta, carrying a red purse and her Nokia 1100 phone. This would be the last time Nand Lal saw his daughter.
When repeated calls to her phone went unanswered that evening, the 46-year-old father began a desperate search. He visited Sector 31 late that night trying to locate Pandher's house but returned empty-handed. The next morning, he found the bungalow with a guard's help and rang the bell.
Koli answered the door and appeared "shaken" when told about Payal's visit, immediately shutting the door in Nand Lal's face.
The Investigation Breakthroughs
Days turned into weeks with no sign of Payal. A breakthrough came unexpectedly when Nand Lal mentioned his daughter's disappearance to a rickshaw driver, Amar Haldar. The driver remembered dropping a girl matching Payal's description at Pandher's house on May 7 and recognized her from a photograph.
Despite this crucial lead, police initially refused to register an FIR. Nand Lal then wrote letters to the President, Prime Minister, and Chief Justice of India before finally approaching the court. In September 2006, the chief judicial magistrate ordered police to register an FIR, forcing a formal investigation.
The case took a dramatic turn when investigators found Payal's mobile phone in Koli's possession. Phone records revealed a call from an STD booth on the day she disappeared, with the booth owner confirming Koli had made the call.
Then came the discovery that changed everything: On December 29, 2006, skeletal remains were found in the drains behind Pandher's bungalow. More emerged the next day, with forensic teams eventually recovering dozens of skulls and bones. Among the personal belongings found was the red purse Nand Lal had described.
The Courtroom Reversal and Acquittals
In the early trial years, Nand Lal was a key witness. In June 2007, he told investigators he had seen Pandher's manager handing cash to a police officer, suggesting bribery to weaken the case. However, in November 2007, he unexpectedly retracted this testimony in court, saying he had never seen any bribe and didn't know the manager.
This reversal severely weakened the case against Pandher. In 2022, a special CBI court convicted Nand Lal of perjury, sentencing him to three and a half years imprisonment and a Rs 20,000 fine. Judge Ravi Shankar Gupta called it a "very serious matter" that had misled the court.
Lawyers remain divided about why Nand Lal changed his testimony. Some hinted at intimidation, while others suggested emotional exhaustion. Khalid Khan, a lawyer who worked with him, noted: "The investigation was weak from the beginning. When Nand Lal turned hostile, it damaged the case even more."
In a final twist, the Supreme Court acquitted both Surinder Koli and Moninder Singh Pandher of all murder and rape charges, leaving the Nithari case essentially unresolved and the victims' families without justice.
Nand Lal's story represents not just personal tragedy but systemic failure - a father who fought for justice only to become a victim of the same system he sought to hold accountable.
