Professional Documents
Culture Documents
SUBJECT
PROJECT ON
FACULTY OF LAW
1
DECLARATION
I declare that the project entitled CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY: NITHARI CASE is the outcome
of my own work conducted under the supervision of Ms. Alaknanda Rajawat at Jagannath
University, Jaipur.
I further declare that to the best of my knowledge the project does not contain any part of any
work, which has been submitted for the award of any degree either in this University or in
another University / Deemed University without proper citation
2
CERTIFICATE OF THE SUPERVISOR
This is to certify that the research work entitled CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY: NITHARI CASE
is the work done by Arpit Singhal under my guidance and supervision for the Partial fulfillment
of the requirement of LLM degree at Jagannath University.
3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express profound gratitude to Ms. Alaknanda Rajawat, for his invaluable
support, encouragement, supervision and useful suggestions throughout this research work. His
moral support and continuous guidance enabled me to complete my work successfully. His
intellectual thrust and blessings motivated me to work rigorously on this study. In fact this study
could not have seen the light of the day if his contribution had not been available. It would be no
exaggeration to say that it is his unflinching faith and unquestioning support that has provided
the sustenance necessary to see it through to its present shape.
Among those who have sustained me over the years with their loyalty and friendship, I would
particularly mention my friends Manthan and Ashish have always taken a special interest in my
work and unconditional support at each turn of the life.
I express my deep sincere gratitude towards my parents for their blessing, patience, and moral
support for this project.
Arpit Singhal
4
Abstract
Almost every people ever break some of rules even just did once time. This is can be
offered as criminal behavior but not all of person who has broken the rule has definition as a
criminal. Discussing about crime is often related with Anti-Social Behavior (ASB), it refers to
act violate norms and rights another people. Person with APD can be referred as term of
psychopath, although this is still bringing up some debates between two because they are not
equivalent. Criminality has been done by psychopath give nightmare for the victim, they can do
anything to achieve their satisfaction. Specifically in India 2007, has revealed kidnapping, rape,
necrophilia and also cannibalism criminality. Surender Koli had been accused behind of that
criminality. He is just like normal people even he has one wife and two children who live in
hundreds kilometers away on Himalayan village. After along investigation, Surender Koli
declared as psychopath by the police. This case had been public spot a few years ago in India, so
i would like to analyze using psychology criminology approach, looking for his behavior and
5
INTRODUCTION
1. Background
Crime is kind of behavior that make harm another individual or community and also
person commits to break laws, rules or norms in society, they will get punishment if they commit
crime. In their life almost every people ever break some of rules even just did once time. This is
can be offered as criminal behavior but not all of person who has broken the rule has definition
as a criminal. Some of assume that criminality must be a continuum and distributed, accordingly
person had violated traffic jams on street for the first time, they cannot called as criminal because
they just did it for first time. So the meaning who is criminal became blurry, if someone can be a
criminal today but not tomorrow for the same behavior. Thus, to make stable definition of
criminals through physiological analysis, Ellis and Walsh (2000) argue that despite some
variability at the edges, there is a ‘stable core of universally condemned offences’. These are
behaviors that involve purposeful victimization of other community members, and include acts
Discussing about crime is often related with Anti-Social Behavior (ASB), it refers to act
violate norms and rights another people. Individuals who persistently behave antisocially may be
assessed as having an antisocial personality disorder (APD).2 Person with APD can be referred
as term of psychopath, although this is still bringing up some debates between two because they
are not equivalent. They emphasized not all of APD or psychopathic person is a criminal.
Psychopathic tendencies can lead into success in the corner offices in some way. One of
Magazine by Sherree DeCovny told us that she estimated ten percent of people in the financial
services industry are psychopaths. 3 On the contrary in fact so many APD person is criminal, it is
because they cannot normally control themself, in addition environment around APD person
1
Wortley, Richard. “Psychological Criminology:An integrative approach”. (New York: Rouledge:2011) page 4.
2
Ibid.
3
Allick, Chantaie. “Psychopath and the CEO: Top Executives have four times the incidence of psychopathy as the
rest of us”. https://www.thestar.com/business/2012/07/05/ psychopathy_ and_the_ceo_top_executives
_have_four_times_the_incidence_of_psychopathy_as_the_rest_of_us.html.. Accessed on 19 Oktober 2017
6
does not encourage that person to grow properly. Later in 1990 clinical practitioners has revised
We shall not realize with the existence of psychopath around us. They can mimic likely
normal people so we will not recognize them. In 1976, Hervey Cleckey in his book “The Mask
of Sanity” giving popular description about psychopath as someone who does not have
In most of case of psychopath, individual commits crime without feel regret, ashamed, guilty
Here I will discuss about crime that has been done by psychopath instead of successfully
positives things they do because now we are learning about psychology criminology, so we need
to know the reason why they commit crimes. Beside of we are learning criminology psychology,
psychopath who commits crime is very interesting to be known deeper. Until this day there are
many criminal case that involve with APD or psychopath itself. Criminality has been done by
psychopath give nightmare for the victim, they can do anything to achieve their satisfaction.
Specifically in India 2007, has revealed kidnapping, rape, necrophilia and also cannibalism
criminality. 6
It was becoming public spotlight because of appear India serial killing “house of
horrors” that cause 16 victims. It is also called as Noida serial murders or Nithari massacre
because it was happen on placed name Noida accurately in Nithari. As we should know Noida is
a systematically planned Indian city under the management of New Okhla Industrial
First of all on district Noida, reported if some person are missing. For the beginning there
was nothing noticeable about that “house of horror” in Noida. Suddenly in December 2006
claimed that some person have seen the remains of the children in the drain behind the house
4
Wade, Carole and Tavris, Carol. “PSIKOLOGI:edisi ke 9”.(Erlangga:Jakarta:2008). Page 344
5
Ibid.
6
Necrophilia is sexual gratification by having sex with the dead, is one of the weirdest, most bizarre and revolting
practices of abnormal and perverse sensuality.
7
who had been missing since many days.7 Then, two Nithari residents claimed that they suspected
Surender Koli the domestic help at D5- had something to do with the disappearances of the
children. After a long process investigation finally he had been accused of missing person in
Noida district. Surender Koli declared as psychopath by the police, the victims were both male
and female and their ages ranged from a three years old boy to young women and he got
In a moment Surender Koli after arrest said, “I still have an urge to kill”. 8 This is a
typical sign of psychopathy, which is a stern disease. He is like normal people even he has one
wife and two children who live in hundreds kilometers away on Himalayan village. His family
disbelief Koli could do viciousness crime like that. Need to be known Surender Koli comes from
Dalit caste on India.9 Case house of horror in India increase a list of history about criminality
The infamous criminality case doing by APD or psychopath makes me want to reviewing
about House of Horror case in India, whom Surender Koli, the main accused had clear traits of
psychology criminology approach, looking for his behavior and mental process as psychopath.
2. Problem Formulations
7
Daily Baskhar .“Nithari massacre: The real story of India's 'house of horrors'”. http://daily.bhaskar.com/news/UP-
nithari-massacre-gruesome-killings-in-noidas-house-of-horrors-and-the-story-behi-4318234-
PHO.html?seq=2.Accessed on 16 October, 2017.
8
Sepaha, Priya. “Psychopath: An Unrevealed Area In Indian Judicial System”. Nirma University Law Journal:
Volume-4, Issue-1, July-2014. Page 14
9
Dalit is a lower caste in India being minority in India until this day
8
DISCUSSION
House of horror being one of many serial killers appears in the world caused 16
people being kills. This is being strange case because no one ever knows include the owner
of the house, that his domestic assistance, Surender Koli was doing infamous crime. The
background is started on 2003, which was an abnormally high number woman and children
were reported missing from Nithari village in Noida disctrict. The phenomenon of missing
children was in line with arrival Surender Koli in Moninder Pandher’s home at D-5, Noida.
Some parents who lost their children had reported to the police but they did not notice by the
local police. Then in 2005, 14 years old Rimpa Haldar had gone missing on 8 February.10
Her parents had tried to register the case with the police but their effort was unsuccessful.
Next month some boys was playing cricket, found a hand on plastic bag in open area behind
D-5 home. They called the police, who after seeing the hand advised them to forget about it,
and no action was taken. The next year, 20 years old girl named Payal went missing on May
7, that was increased assumption if Koli connected with missing of this girl and another
people.
Finally missing of the children was reported on High Court, the police were
directed to investigate. They did investigation in Moninder Pandher’s home based on reported local
residents that have felt distrustful with Koli’s presence on D-5 home. In this phase Surender Koli
suspected as the actor behind missing of the people recent years. Police claimed that it was
through Koli that they discovered the large number of skulls and bones in the open space at
the back of D-5, and in the drain running on the main road in front of the bungalows. Thus,
Koli was arrested on 29 December 2006.11 In January 2007 the case was transferred to the
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who took Koli’s custody thereafter. 12 Investigation had
been transferred because local policy failed in their duty to respond to complaints over the
10
India Resists Team.” Surinder Koli Case: Facts you must Know before he is Hanged in your Name”.
http://www.indiaresists.com/surinder-koli-case-facts-you-must-know-before-he-is-hanged-in-your-name/. Accessed
on 16 October 20, 2017
11
Ibid.
12
CBI is the domestic security agency of India, it was requested to assist the investigation of crimes such as murder,
kidnapping and terrorism.
9
past two years. First investigations by CBI team visits Nithari to initiate probe in the case. 30
more bones found near the house. The court process taken until three years to give Surender
Koli death sentence as the case was classified as ‘rarest of rare’. I find the data records
related in missing children and also person around Noida district with the person admitted as
killed by accused:
Cases Reported
for missing 9 20 29
person/ children
Person/Children
returned or 3 8 11
recovered
Person admitted
as killed by 2 9 11
accused
Person still
4 3 7
missing
*As per the data given by SSP, Noida during the first visit of the Committee to Nithari on 04.01. 2007.
(http://www.indiaresists.com/surinder-koli-case-facts-you-must-know-before-he-is-hanged-in-your-name/)
To be truth the victims of Koli’s murderer increasing with passage time. On his last
confession, Koli gave a detailed of how exactly a total of 16 victims (9 female children, 2
male children and 5 adult women) into the house, killed and attempted to have sex with the
inert bodies, chopped and eat their body parts, and then threw the remains at the back of the
house and in the drain on the main road. It was also reported Koli’s way to lured children
victims invite to the house by offering them sweets and chocolate .13
So how was Koli doing his action since it is not his home, he just domestic full time
servant of Pandher and his wife. Inside D-5 home there are another servant and Pandher’s
wife but they did not notice strange activities inside home. The wife of Pandher often
travelled to Chandigarh, and Pandher would be at work almost during a day. After each
13
Pande, Greta. “India serial killings: Could 'house of horrors' accused be innocent?”. http://www.bbc.com/news
/world-asia-india-38529255. Accessed on 17 october,2017.
10
killing, Koli would strip the clothes of his victim and carry the body upstairs to a bathroom
where he would proceed to chop it into small parts. Then he would leave the bathroom in that
condition while he cooked and ate some of the body parts. After 3-4 hours when he would
regain his composure, only then would he clean up the drawing room and bathroom. 14 In the
investigation, CBI did not find clear motives why he did this criminality. In the one of
investigations, he committed to eat human organs in the belief that cannibalism cured
impotency, but in another place his wife said that Koli did not have any impotency. Koli said
that he committed to killing a call girl for refusing to have sex with him, and has sex with the
corpse to prevent being rejected. His desire to having sex can also emerge because Pandher
often called girls into his home. Hence some observers view Koli describe as really shrewd
Psychopath has inclined to do a crime more than normal people. They are 15 to 25
percentages more likely to commit crimes that land them in prison than non-psychopath.15
Here this is happen in Koli, he committed crime like that because he is psychopath.
Prominent characteristic of psychopath not only lack emotions of conscience and empathy,
but research has shown that these individuals consistently display certain aspects of
temperament which include lack of fear, lack of inhibition and a stimulus seeking behavior. 16
• hollow emotions,
• manipulativeness,
• lying,
• egocentricity,
14
India Resists Team.” Surinder Koli Case: Facts you must Know before he is Hanged in your Name”.
http://www.indiaresists.com/surinder-koli-case-facts-you-must-know-before-he-is-hanged-in-your-name/. Accessed
on 16 October 20, 2017
15
Kiehl, Kent and Hoffman Morris. “The Criminal Pyschopath:History Neuroscience,Treatment, and Economics”.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4059069/.Accessed on 21 October 2017
16
Sepaha, Priya. “Psychopath: An Unrevealed Area In Indian Judicial System.”. Nirma University Law Journal:
Volume-4, Issue-1, July-2014.
11
• glibness,
There are many characteristics psychopath on Koli’s behavior, I will try to explain
one by one. First of all psychopaths doing crime in a long time periods. Here we can see,
Koli doing such an infamous crime for almost two years. It is started on 2004 since he came
at Noida district until 2006. The killing habits did stop because police has investigated about
missing children and person and suspected Koli behinds it all. Someone who does not
recognize as psychopath will not do such a crime for long a long time the persistent violation
of social norms, because normal people are going to feel guilty and afraid as well. The
Second is calm city appearance when Koli arrested, along investigation even when
he knows he is going to get death penalty. Based info that I have read, Koli may ask about is
it hanging will be painful. Normal people will not ask kind of that question, because we have
already known it is cause pain so much. Devianni as the producer documentary film making
met with Koli told if he was very relax when doing interview. "Our conversations were very
laid back and casual. He talked a lot about his family, his wife and two children." Said
Devianni.17 More over police said during interrogation Koli hardly ever showed any remorse.
All above explanation are showing hollow emotions and also lack remorse of Koli.
Manipulative, lying egocentric is being the most stand out controversy of Koli
behavior. Yes he is manipulative and very sly since he can covered infamous crime for two
years without anybody know about his activities. Besides, he never denied committing any of
the crimes, he always tried to put the blame on someone else. A doctor in their
neighbourhood was involved in an organ scam so Koli suggested that he may have been
17
Pande, Greta. “India serial killings: Could 'house of horrors' accused be innocent?”. http://www.bbc.com/news
/world-asia-india-38529255. Accessed on 17 october,2017.
12
behind the killings.18 His boss, Pandher Monindher also being his scapegoat, he said if
Pandher helped Koli to killed some victims but it is not true because Pandher was not at
home when Koli commit his crime. Another untruth is he committed to eat human organs in
the belief that cannibalism cured impotency, but in another place his wife said that Koli did
not have any impotency. He just tried to be innocent so another will not prejudice at Koli.
Versatility indeed visible on him, all I mentioned above being the fact oh his
smartness. Devineni describes Koli as "really shrewd and cunning, one of the smartest people
I have ever met. He's had little education, knows no English, but he does his own research.
On his own, he has learnt India's complex legal system and how to stay on top of it.” 19 The
way koli killed his victims, how was he cut the bones perfectly, he also made use of bad
smell of drain to covered decayed remains so no one will suspicious. The time doing
I want to underline about Surender Koli did to the corpses, necrophilia. Based on
“The Mask of Sanity” book claimed if real psychopath sexuality is abnormal. Masochism,
psychopath. Most psychopaths known to me have shown little compunction about seeking
sexual gratification.20 So to achieve his gratification, Koli doing extreme way to had sex with
the corpse. Another distinction of normal behavior is cannibalism that has been done by Koli.
The accused was brought to the Directorate of Forensic Sciences, Gandhinagar city
for undergoing a series of medical tests. Brain mapping and polygraph tests were conducted
on January 4, 2007 and narco analysis five days later. 21 The police director told the scribes
that both the accused had been cooperative during the tests and examinations. Unfortunatelly,
the directorate officials did not make any revelations to the public media.
abnormality in his ganglion (central nerves) and also disorder of frontal lobes. Abnormality
18
Pande, Greta. “India serial killings: Could 'house of horrors' accused be innocent?”. http://www.bbc.com/news
/world-asia-india-38529255. Accessed on 17 october,2017.
19
Ibid.
20
Cleckley, Harvey.” Mask of Sanity”. (private printing for non-profit educational use). Page 290
21
,”Surender Koli”. http://murderpedia.org/male.K/k/koli-surender.htm. Accessed on 17 October, 2017
13
with the ganglion especially with emotional systems made Koli does not have ability to feel
emotional feelings, such as empathy, guilty, anxious under pressure. That is the prominent
traits of distortion on ganglion. As I emphasized before, Koli did not shows any guilty cause
of 16 person death, instead he is still has desire to kill someone. Surender Koli after arrest
said, “I still have an urge to kill”.22 Then dysfunctional on frontal lobes show Koli cannot
control response of his frustration and agitation. Survey said if cold blood killer commit such
an infamous crime or serial killers has a little activity on their locus frontal than person who
commit to killing someone one because of their furiousness. 23 Thus, the abnormality on lobus
frontal maybe ensue because of brain damaging, for examples physical accidents, physical
neglect, beating, injuries. So, I conclude Surender Koli committed crime because he is a
psychopath, he is totally know what he was doing so there was something wrong with his
brain, neurogical system precisely. Here nature become the major factor he did such an
infamous crime, all above explanation told us he has different biological (neurogical, as a
psychopath.
As I said in background of this paper, not all psychopaths are dangerous or criminal
and not all of criminal are psychopaths. But they have tendencies more than normal peoples
to do crime. Most of researcher said if psychopath cannot be cured, Vis a vis with Dr. Nigel
Blackwood, a leading forensic psychiatric at King’s College London has state adult
Thus, understanding when and how psychopathy develops from child to adult is
very important for minimalizing risk someone growing to be dangerous psychopaths. One
research tell us if :
94% due to genetics between the ages 9-10 and 11-13, 6% environmental
71% due to genetics between ages 11-13 and 14-15, 29% environmental
22
Sepaha, Priya. “Psychopath: An Unrevealed Area In Indian Judicial System”. Nirma University Law Journal:
Volume-4, Issue-1, July-2014.
23
Wade, Carole and Tavris, Carol. “PSIKOLOGI 9 editions” .(Erlangga:Jakarta:2008). Page 346
24
Clark, Cara. “The science of Preventing Dangerous Psychopathy”. https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/
2017/01/21 /the-science-of-preventing-dangerous-psychopathy/.Accessed on 22 October 2017
14
66% due to genetics between ages 14-16 and 16-<18 and 34% environmental
From the data above we know the nature is still being strong factor, especially on
child hold phase but we have also environmental here. Environmental factors could have
25
implication for development psychopathically traits. So although psychopath is largely
come from genetic factors, where it is mostly down to you if you have the right combination
of the genes needed to become a psychopath or not, life experiences during puberty and early
infant year could minimalizing potential psychopath to be dangerous. For instance child 4
years old like to beating, nibble unnaturally and also child 10 years old skip the class and
stealing. They are stranger things doing by child, so we must conscious about person around
us, we need to know them as well. Recognizing them from beginning could help them
Love is believed as potential medicine for all of sickness include psychopathy. One
of neuroscientist, Dr. James Fallon made a shocking paper that on paper he is identified as
26
psychopath. His brain identified as a psychopath, he had low activities in certain areas.
The frontal and temporal lobes linked challenges with empathy, morality and self-control. I
think Dr. James Fallon has a same traits with Koli’s brain. But here Dr. James has grown
without has a titled as dangerous psychopath. He said one key is Love he received from his
mother led him to be pro-social psychopathy. On his paper said if a mother expressed love
guiding the child’s pro-social behavior and it is setting good examples of pro-social behavior
A psychopath who has already commit crime must do rehabilitation for preventing
commit dangerous crime for the twice. Psychopath does not afraid with the pain of
punishment, the punishment on jail with the rigidity will useless. Consequently adult
psychopaths in prison are much harder to rehabilitate than other criminals. Because they do
not respond in a normal way of punishment, reward based treatment seems work the best for
25
Clark, Cara. “The science of Preventing Dangerous Psychopathy”. https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/
2017/01/21 /the-science-of-preventing-dangerous-psychopathy/.Accessed on 22 October 2017
26
Ibid.
15
them.27 In reward based treatment, psychopath will get the reward for example small
privilege such as watching televisions, playing games or perks in exchange for good
behavior.
27
Bonn, Scott and Deeds Wicked. “Psychopathic Criminal Cannot Be Cured” . https://www.google.co.id/amp
/s/www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wicked-deeds/201408/psychopathic-criminals-cannot-be-cured%3famp.
Accessed on 22 October 2017
16
CONCLUSION
So, yes indeed the act of Koli is ascertained as a crime, because what he was doing
consistent with the definition of crime. Concordant with Ellis and Walls give definition about
crime, Koli’s action nor his behavior purposeful victimization with up 16 person. We should say
it is crime or not from the intensity break the law. Thus, his action had been done approximately
for 2 years with no one know, that is means what he did was continually, this is also compatible
with another definition of crime. Indeed because his behavior he get death punishment from
India judicial. Murdering, then did cannibalism even he was doing sex with corpse are very
abnormal person behavior. Later he identified as a psychopath, Koli has something wrong with
his brain.
Although I do not have evidence of his brain scanned, because it is not permitted by the police
for public consumption I have analyzed his behavior that direct into psychopathic behavior. For
instance psychopath traits about his intelligence and shrewdness covered his criminality on
Monindher Pandher’s home over 2 years, mimic he is like an innocent and so on. After we know
if he is a psychopath, now we can say the prominent factor he committed infamous crime from
his nature as well. Psychopaths closely related with brain damaging, I find his behavior
correlated with abnormal ganglion (central nerves) and also disorder of frontal lobes so as
After we read all of Surinder Koli’s did to his victims, will make us terrified of
psychopath’s behavior. I need emphasized not all of psychopath commit crimes, vice versa. We
could prevent psychopath for committing such an infamous crimes, from earlier. Consciousness
of people around us will make criminality because of psychopathic decrease. Last, we must
spread loves of people surround us because love is believed effective prevent crimes and heal
17
References
Allick, Chantaie. Psychopath and the CEO: Top Executives have four times the incidence of
psychopathy as the rest of us. https://www.thestar.com/business/2012/07/05/
psychopathy_and_the_ceo_top_executives_have_four_times_the_incidence_of_p
sychopathy_as_the_rest_of_us.html.
Cleckley, Harvey. Mask of Sanity: An Attempt to Clarify Some Issues About the So-Called
Psychopathic Personality. (private printing for non-profit educational use:1988).
Daily Bashkar. Nithari massacre: The Real Story of India's 'House of Horrors.
http://daily.bhaskar.com/news/UP-nithari-massacre-gruesome-killings-in-noidas-
house-of-horrors-and-the-story-behi-4318234-PHO.html?seq=2.
India Resists Team. Surinder Koli Case: Facts you must Know before he is Hanged in your
Name.http://www.indiaresists.com/surinder-koli-case-facts-you-must-know-
before-he-is-hanged-in-your-name/.
Pande, Greta. India serial killings: Could 'house of horrors' accused be innocent?.
http://www.bbc.com/news /world-asia-india-38529255. Accessed on 17
october,2017.
Sepaha, Priya. Psychopath: An Unrevealed Area In Indian Judicial System. Nirma University
Law Journal: Volume-4, Issue-1, July-2014.
18