Five individuals to undergo polygraph test for ‘23 death of student

The deceased, originally from Kannauj, and was pursuing her third year of Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery at a private medical college in Modinagar

Five individuals will undergo polygraph tests on December 2 in connection to the death of 23-year-old student whose body was found hanging in her PG room in Modinagar on June 15, 2023, police officials said on Tuesday.

To be sure, the result of a polygraph test is not considered a “confession” and is not admissible in the court of law and the tests are done only to assist investigators in their investigation and get leads from the suspect. (Representational image)

The deceased, a third-year Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery student at a private college, was discovered by her friends a day after her death in a private paying guest (PG) accommodation in Surya Vihar.

According to assistant commissioner of police (Modinagar Circle) Gyan Prakash Rai, the individuals to undergo polygraph test, include two male friends of the deceased, her building’s landlord and his son, and a tenant residing in the same building. A female friend of the victim refused consent for the polygraph test. “We are yet to file the chargesheet. After the autopsy, we added IPC sections for murder to the case investigation as the autopsy revealed strangulation,” said Rai.

To be sure, the result of a polygraph test is not considered a “confession” and is not admissible in the court of law. The tests are done only to assist investigators in their investigation and get leads from the suspect, and the test is not scientifically proven to have a complete success rate.

According to the police, the deceased, Laxmi Gupta was originally from Kannauj. She was pursuing her third year of Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) at a private medical college in Modinagar.

The autopsy findings initially suggested strangulation as the cause of death, but investigators were skeptical, police said. The findings were subsequently reviewed by forensic experts from the State Forensic Laboratory in Lucknow, who confirmed that the victim died of strangulation, police said. “Our investigation into the murder is ongoing. We are now proceeding with the polygraph test of the five individuals, after earlier attempts at scientific tests failed for various reasons,” the ACP added.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident in June last year, the police had suspected suicide. The initial probe suggested that Gupta used a dupatta to hang herself from the ventilation grille in her room late on June 14, 2023. Her friends discovered her body the following day after breaking into the room, which was locked from the inside, police said.