The ‘haunted house’ of Nithari that no one wants to talk about
Bungalow No 5, the residence of Moninder Singh Pandher in Sector 31’s Block D, has intrigued locals ever since the serial killings in 2006 came to light.
The one-and-a-half storeyed bungalow, near Nithari village, is hidden with wild shrubs and trees and is often referred to as bhoot bungalow (haunted house) by the residents of the area .
The lock on the main gate, put in place by investigation agencies, has developed rust. Rainfall over the years has washed away the paint from the walls.
“It’s been more than a decade since the house was first locked. Its boundary walls have developed cracks due to the negligent attitude of officials. The only creatures who live here are snakes and other reptiles, posing a threat to people on the road,” said Rahul, a resident.
Yellow barricades, that were once used by the police in guarding the house, are found dumped against the boundary wall. “Six yellow-coloured barricades were laid outside the house for preventing entry of unauthorised people. They were either installed by the police or the CBI. With the passage of time, these barricades were pushed to the boundary wall of the house and the area has become a zone for parking cars,” said Bhisham Singh, another resident.
Jhabbu Lal, 60, who irons clothes at a kiosk near the house, still remembers how the house looked earlier. He would go to collect clothes and often met Pandher, who he said barely spoke to anyone. Lal’s 10-year-old daughter Jyoti was one of the victims.
He said, “It was a place where lavish parties were held, and people drove in on luxury cars.”
He still believes that the visitors to those parties were doctors, who were involved in organ trafficking of children murdered inside the house, a charge that has been rubbished by the CBI.
After Saturday’s verdict, Jhabbu said that both Pandher and Koli should be hanged
The 60-year-old still recounts images of 2006, when blood stained clothes would come to him.
“I cannot forget the blood stained clothes. Many a times, I asked Koli about these stains. He would say, “Sahab (Pandher) murga kharidne gaye they, wahi daag lag gaya hoga (Pandher went to buy chicken and must have got the stains from there).”