Moninder's son says he loves children, can't be their killer

CHANDIGARH: Even as businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, the prime accused in the Noida serial killings case, has revealed vital information during psychological profiling and tests conducted on him, his Canada-educated son on Saturday said his father loves children and could not be their killer.

Defending his father, Karandeep Singh, 25, told said, "Ever since my childhood he has showered me with love and affection. He has even taken care of some of our relatives' children, who too love him. Tell me which psychopath or paedophile, as my father is being falsely projected, would show such qualities."

Karandeep, who lives with his mother Davinder Kaur at the family's Chandigarh house, said his father brought him up like a king and always stressed on good education, as that alone and not money would help progress in life.

"My father himself has a brilliant academic record. Not only did he study at prestigious educational institutions like St. Stephens, but he even reached the interview stage of IAS examination, but left it to take responsibility of the family business," he said.

Karandeep said the entire family had been shocked and traumatised after his father's name figured as a prime suspect in the Nithari killings of children that have evoked a nationwide outrage.

"He was and still is a good father. I firmly believe that my father cannot do this heinous crime. I think somebody is behind all this. The confessions are being made under pressure, but I have full faith in the judiciary, which I regard as the best in the world," he said.

Both the suspects Moninder and his servant Surinder Kohli had on Friday revealed vital information during their pscyhological profiling and tests conducted at the Directorate of Forensic Sciences in Gandhinagar.

Asked about the unearthing of skeletons and body parts of children in a nullah behind their Noida residence, Karandeep said, "My father and servant Surendra are not surgeons. Look, how cleanly the work was done. In fact, the doctor living next-door should also be brought under the scanner."

"The killing seems to be the handiwork of some professional people and should be thoroughly investigated. I have myself stayed in our Noida house on earlier occasions. In fact, my mother too was there on June 5, but had to come back to Chandigarh to attend to my ailing grandfather. If something fishy had been going on there, either of us would have got the wind of it," he said.

Karandeep said life has come to a standstill for him and his family. "People don't want to keep relations with us," he said.

"Someone is also trying to falsely project that relations between my mother and father are strained, which is not the case. We are firmly behind him in this hour of crisis," he said.

He said the family had deputed a private investigator to dig out the truth.

"We are going through a trauma. Outside our Chandigarh house, people come and raise slogans. What wrong have we done? Why are they punishing us?" he asked.

He also said that political parties should not make this sensitive issue a political propaganda.