Noida, Oct. 8 -- A sense of helplessness and resignation has settled once again over Nithari village in Noida. Nearly two decades after the grisly murders of children shocked the nation, families of the victims say they have lost faith in justice - as the Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on convict Surendra Koli and observed that it would be a "travesty of justice" to uphold his conviction, suggesting an imminent acquittal in the final pending case. "We have lost all hope in the justice of the Nithari killings," said a 63-year-old father whose 10-year-old daughter's remains were among those recovered from the now-infamous D-5 bungalow in Sector 31, owned by businessman Moninder Singh Pandher. "My daughter went missing while returning from school in 2006. Since then, I fought for justice, selling my properties to pursue the case. But my wife and I have now lost all faith. Only God can punish the killers of my child," he said. "If Koli and Pandher are not involved, then who killed the children?" His wife echoed his despair. "After Pandher's acquittal in October 2023, I knew the case would collapse. Every time I pass by the D-5 bungalow, it brings back the image of my daughter," she said softly. The couple, who have five children, still live in Nithari -- one of only two victim families who have not left the locality. The others have long moved away. Today, the once-notorious house lies hidden behind overgrown shrubs and creepers, its walls crumbling like the memories of the case itself. Another parent, who lost his five-and-a-half-year-old son, said simply, "If Koli and Pandher are not responsible, then who is? Who will tell us who killed our children?" His voice trailed off. "Whatever we say, nothing will change. We have accepted our fate." On Tuesday, the Supreme Court indicated that Koli, a domestic help at Pandher's house, may be acquitted in the only remaining case where his conviction still stands. "Will this not be anomalous?" the bench asked. "If on the same set of facts this court has acquitted him in other cases, and he is convicted in this one on the same evidence - will this not be a travesty of justice?" The remarks echoed last year's order of the Allahabad High Court, which on October 16, 2023, acquitted both Koli and Pandher in all cases linked to the 2006 killings. The high court had castigated the investigation, observing that "basic norms of collecting evidence were brazenly violated." Koli had been charged in 13 cases, and Pandher in six. The cases stemmed from a series of disappearances and murders that came to light in December 2006, when skeletal remains, skulls and bones were discovered near the D-5 bungalow. The recovery -- made by Uttar Pradesh Police -- revealed what was believed to be one of India's most chilling serial killing cases. Koli and Pandher were arrested on December 29, 2006. The investigation was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on January 11, 2007, which filed 16 charge sheets in as many cases. Koli was charge-sheeted in all 16, while Pandher was initially booked under the Immoral Trafficking Act in only one case before being summoned as a co-accused in five more. Much of the case against Koli was built on his alleged confessional statement recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) before a Delhi magistrate on March 1, 2007 - three months after his arrest. He has remained lodged in Ghaziabad's Dasna Jail since. Koli initially had legal representation, but later began arguing his own case, saying his earlier lawyers failed to present his defence properly. Over the years, he has been acquitted in 12 of the 13 cases filed against him. For the families of the victims, the long legal battle has only deepened their despair. "We don't understand the law. We only know our children were killed and their bones were found there," said the 63-year-old father. "If no one is guilty, then what kind of justice is this?"...