The Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Surendra Koli, the only remaining convict in the 2006 Nithari mass killings, and ordered his immediate release if not wanted in any other case, news agency PTI reported. The verdict marks Koli’s acquittal in the 13th and final case linked to the gruesome killings, after being cleared in 12 others.

The Nithari killings, which shocked the nation, came to light on December 29, 2006, when the skeletal remains of several children were found in a drain behind businessman Moninder Singh Pandher’s house in Noida’s Nithari village. Koli, who worked as Pandher’s domestic help, was accused of raping and murdering multiple children.