The CBI today virtually gave a clean chit to businessman Moninder Singh Pandher in the Nithari serial killings, blaming his “psychopath” domestic help Surinder Koli squarely for the murders of 16 people.

Submitting its chargesheet in the first of the 19 cases before the Special Judicial Magistrate in Ghaziabad, the agency named Koli as the main accused, saying Pandher was guilty only of “criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence and running his home as a brothel”.

The first chargesheet was in relation to the killing of 26-year-old Payal, who went missing in May, 2006. While Koli has been charged with kidnapping, rape, murder and destruction of evidence, Pandher has been charged with criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence, offering bribes and under the Immoral Trafficking Act. The third accused in the FIR is dismissed sub-inspector Simranjit Kaur, charged with accepting bribes and fudging evidence.

The CBI submitted eight boxes full of documents in the court, the culmination of a nearly two-month-long probe.

Addressing a press conference, CBI Joint Director (Special Crime Investigation) Arun Kumar said that except “one or two cases” where they are still probing Pandher’s role, he “did not rape or murder” the Nithari victims and was “not even aware” of the killings carried out by Koli till the Noida police started digging up bones at his D-5, Sector 31, bungalow in December.

Koli, he said, murdered at least 19 women and children, and each time, Pandher was either out of the country or not present at the house.

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