The Nithari Killings - Child Cannibalism in India

This is one of the most macabre tales of child cannibalism. The incident came to light when, by chance, human bones were discovered in the backyard drain running across the sprawling bungalow of the main accused, Mohinder Singh.

Mohinder Singh is a local businessman residing in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, North India. The finding of human bones had led to the police raiding his house and carrying out digging operation in his courtyard. Shockingly more human bones and skills were recovered.

Mohinder Singh and his Man Friday, Surendra Koli, were immediately taken into custody. In a shocking confession to the police Surendra Koli confessed to killing 17 persons, many of whom were children. The police said that Surendra, apart from supplying call girls to his master, would also lure innocent children passing outside the bungalow with the false pretext of offering sweets.

Once the victims were drawn inside the dingy rooms of the house, his master Mohinder would sexually assault the children. After fulfilling his lust, the children were either strangulated or hacked to death. It was left to his servant Surendra to dismember the bodies and dump them in the backyard drain.

Surprisingly this gruesome killing went on for two years without the local police having any clues. What is most baffling about the local police is their ineptitude and callousness, despite receiving many written complaints of missing persons from the victims' parents.

Now it has come to light that the paedophile Mohinder was arrested in the past, but he managed to walk out of the police station, allegedly by bribing the local police officer with Rs.2.5 lakhs. Unfortunately, many lives would have been saved had the police refused to be bribed and instead put Mohinder under arrest.

Another baffling mystery is that though the police have discovered many human bones and skulls, the torso is still missing from the bodies. Many theories are doing the rounds about the motives for killing, such as besides the sexual angle, the victims' vital organs were removed and traded in the market.

Just as the whole nation was coming to grips with this gruesome incident, the latest confession from Surendra has jolted the collective conscience of everyone. Surendra, having absolved his master Mohinder of committing any crime, has admitted to killing all the victims. He would cut up the bodies and then slit them down the middle to reach the organs, mainly the liver which he would then eat. This human flesh eating incident reminds us of the film The Silence of the Lambs.

In the political map of India, Uttar Pradesh is a very important state. It is about to go for assembly elections. The insensitive politicians cutting across all parties have given this ghastly incident a political colour by promising to make it their election plank in the coming election. This speaks of the rot that has set in the Indian political system.