Chandigarh: 3 yrs after wife’s murder, PU professor, his daughter to undergo brain-mapping test
In March this year, the Chandigarh Police had the victim’s daughter, Parul, undergo a forensic psychological assessment at the forensics varsity in Rohini. The report is still awaited. Earlier, both Parul and her father, Professor BB Goyal, had undergone polygraph tests as part of the investigation.
Over three years after the murder of a Panjab University professor’s wife, the Chandigarh Police are now turning to advanced forensic techniques for a breakthrough. Investigators plan to conduct a brain electrical oscillation signature (BEOS) profiling of Professor BB Goyal and his daughter Parul at the National Forensic Sciences University in Rohini, Delhi, as part of the ongoing probe.
Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature (BEOS) profiling is a neuropsychological forensic technique used to detect whether a person has experiential knowledge related to a crime. Unlike polygraph tests that monitor physiological responses like heart rate and sweat, BEOS relies on brain activity alone, recorded through electrodes attached to the scalp (EEG). The test is based on the idea that if someone has committed or witnessed a crime, their brain will recognise and respond to specific crime-related details, even if they don’t speak.
In March this year, the Chandigarh Police had the victim’s daughter, Parul, undergo a forensic psychological assessment at the forensics varsity in Rohini. The report is still awaited. Earlier, both Parul and her father, Professor BB Goyal, had undergone polygraph tests as part of the investigation.
On the morning of November 4, 2021 (Diwali), Seema Goyal, 60, was found dead in a ground-floor bedroom of her family’s official accommodation on PU campus in Sector 14, Chandigarh.
Her husband, Prof BB Goyal, discovered her around 7.30 am after being alerted by the milkman, only to find the main door locked from outside. Her hands and legs were tied with cloth. Prof Goyal had explained that he had slept upstairs and their daughter Parul had been away at a friend’s place. Police recorded both Goyal’s and their daughter’s statements by November 7.
The post-mortem examination revealed five to seven injuries on the victim’s body, indicating signs of a struggle. It concluded that she was strangulated, and the cause of death was “asphyxia.” Investigators suspect a pillow may have been used to suffocate her. Notably, no fingerprints or DNA evidence were recovered from the crime scene.
Investigators found no signs of forced entry; however, the mesh panels on the bedroom and kitchen doors had been removed, indicating the possibility of entry through internal door bolts. His statements were repeatedly cross-checked, as police suspected an inside job given no signs of forced entry. His brother-in-law noted the couple had strained relations and urged thorough questioning of the husband.
CCTV footage did not capture anyone entering or leaving the house. Seema’s mobile phone is missing; its call logs showed it hadn’t left the campus area. Based on the forensic report, which concluded that the mesh had been removed from inside, the police began suspecting an insider’s role and subsequently sought permission to conduct a narco test on the victim’s husband.
On December 7, 2021, Chandigarh police moved court to administer a narco analysis test on Prof Goyal, as forensic evidence was inconclusive and an insider’s role was suspected. In March 2022, doctors at Gandhinagar’s forensic lab declared Prof Goyal unfit for narco test on health grounds.
On August 1, 2022, the Punjab and Haryana high court asked Chandigarh Police to submit a fresh status report, after Seema’s brother petitioned for an independent investigation. In his plea, the victim’s brother alleged she was constantly abused, shamed and degraded for being a Christian and till her death, she was constantly harassed physically and emotionally. No suspects have been publicly identified or arrested.
Why no arrest in the case?
No fingerprints, DNA, or even a single hair strand of a perpetrator at the crime scene
No signs of forced entry, and no weapon was recovered.
The mesh panels of the bedroom and kitchen doors were found cut from the inside, contradicting the family’s claim that an outsider broke in.
The case relied heavily on forensic reports (including CFSL analysis, psychological assessments, polygraph tests, etc.), which took time
Results from the earlier polygraph tests led police to conduct another forensic psychological assessment of the daughter in March this year, but with the report still awaited, police have found nothing conclusive to warrant an arrest.
