In December 2006 the skeletons of a number of children, many reported missing, were found in a village on the outskirts of Noida, India. In the same month, on the 26th December, rich businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and his servant Surendra Koli were arrested by the local Noida police on suspicion of murdering a local girl and charged with a variety of offences including rape, murder and kidnap. They were both sentenced to death on 13th February 2009.

Police had been tipped off by two local residents that bodies of victims were hidden behind a municipal water tank at Pandher's house, and that Koli had something to do with the murders. Initially, police ignored the residents pleas for a search and they instead enlisted the help of another senior figure - the president of the Resident Welfare Association. That same morning, the President and two locals went to search the tank and found a decomposed hand. They immediately called police, and managed to find bones belonging to three further skeletons before the police had even arrived. Parents of missing children rushed to the town with photographs to try and determine whether the bodies of their children had been found, whilst Koli soon admitted that he had raped and murdered 6 children and 1 adult female. Residents were not convinced however that this told the whole story, and believed that police officials were corrupt and demanded an independent enquiry into the case. Criticism of the police included their claims that a police officer had discovered the bodies, and an inital denial that they had found 15 bodies.

The Indian Home Ministry became aware of, and subsequently interested in, the murder case and launched an inquiry, and they subsequently suspended two police officers for failing to take earlier action with regards to the reports by members of the public. A further investigation into the case and 15 of the 17 skeletons were to be identified, 10 by Koli and 5 by relatives with photographs, however the torso was missing on many of the bodies and police began to consider the possibility that they were killed for profit in the organ trade. It was later said that there were probably at least 31 victims. Eventually the case was handed over to the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Koli and Pandhar were taken immediately to the CBI headquarters in New Delhi, whilst investigators found several other pieces of human remains, but eventually ruled out the possibility of killing for the Organ Trade. Koli was deemed to be a psychopath who killed for thrills, whilst Pandher was initially cleared of involvement. He was later found guilty of involvement in the murders and both Pandher and Koli were sentenced to death on 13th February 2009. Pandher was again acquitted in September 2009, with police stating that there was little evidence against him; much to the dismay of the public who feel that Pandher is involved.