Following brain mapping and psychological tests, PU professor arrested four years after wife’s murder

According to the police, the case remained riddled with complexities from the beginning, but a combination of forensic psychological assessments, and years of scientific and circumstantial evidence paved the way for the professor’s arrest.

SSP (Chandigarh Police) Kanwardeep Kaur said that the brain oscillation and polygraph tests of the accused and his daughter were conducted, in which the circumstantial evidence indicated the role of Bharat Bhushan in the murder. He was taken into custody for further questioning in the matter.

The murder came to light on November 4, 2021, on the morning of Diwali, when the milkman called out, Bharat Bhushan came downstairs and found the main door locked from outside. Upon entering the house, he discovered his wife’s body lying in a ground-floor room, bound and gagged. Her hands and feet were tied with cloth, and her mouth had been pressed shut. There were 5–7 severe injury marks on her body. The postmortem confirmed death due to strangulation.

There were no signs of a violent struggle at the crime scene. No jewellery, cash, or valuables were missing from the house, leading police to rule out robbery angle.

Suspicion rose against the professor when investigators found that the metal mesh on a door had been cut from the inside, contradicting his claim that an outsider had entered, killed Seema, and fled. Also, during the probe earlier, the forensic experts of CFSL-36, had ruled out any forceful entry in the house and concluded that the iron meshes found tampered were cut from inside.

Victim’s family laid suspicion from day one

Seema Goyal’s brother, Deep, had pointed fingers at the professor just days after the incident. He had alleged that the murder could not have been committed by an outsider and alleged that someone inside the house was responsible.

Deep had also approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, expressing dissatisfaction with the pace of investigation, after which the probe gained momentum.

Police sources said that during the investigation, the couple’s daughter told police that a heated argument had taken place between her parents just a day before Diwali. Though she was not home at the time when the incident took place, her statement further reinforced the police doubting the professor’s version of events.

In December, 2021, the police had sought court approval for a narco analysis test on the professor. Goyal agreed to undergo the test, claiming he wanted the truth to come out. However, during medical evaluation at the Gandhinagar lab in March 2022, doctors deemed him medically unfit, preventing the narco test from being administered. Goyal was also found to have asthmatic symptoms.

However, over the next four years, the police conducted brain mapping and forensic psychological assessment on the professor. Police sources said the results indicated that the suspect had experiential memories connected to the crime scene, and circumstances surrounding the murder. These findings proved pivotal in securing his arrest.