Having languished without leads for nearly two years, the probe into the November 2021 murder of Panjab University professor BB Goyal's wife saw its first real breakthrough in late 2023, when their daughter's polygraph test showed deceptive responses to crucial questions.
Investigators describe this as the "turning point" that shifted suspicion firmly onto Goyal. With no physical evidence to lean on, the anomalies in her test prompted police to pursue Goyal's Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature (BEOS) profiling -- an advanced neuro-forensic technique that ultimately led to his arrest on Monday.
Seema Goyal, 60, was found dead in the couple's house on the PU campus in Sector 14 on November 4, 2021. Their only daughter, Parul, had been away at a friend's house since the day before.
Goyal had claimed to have found Seema lying on the bed, with hands and legs tied with a cloth. However, instead of alerting the police, he called the PU senior medical officer (SMO) and moved her to GMSH-16. Police were eventually called by the hospital staff.
From the outset, investigators suspected an inside job: no forced entry, no one seen on CCTV, and Goyal was the only person in the house that night. But with forensic teams unable to recover usable clues, police lacked the evidence to link him to the crime.
Forensic examinations, including CFSL findings, had concluded that the mesh on the bedroom and kitchen doors was cut from the inside. No fingerprints, DNA, foot impressions or hair strands belonging to an outsider were found.
Nearly two years later, Parul underwent a polygraph test in 2023. Two questions produced deceptive indicators: "Do you know who killed your mother?" and "Was there any dispute between your parents the night before the murder?"
Officers said these responses suggested she was withholding information, reinforcing suspicion of an inside job.
The other two questions were: "Have you killed her?" and "Were you present at home when the incident happened?"
Police officials said after evaluating the polygraph results, a review team recommended a more advanced test capable of detecting "experiential knowledge" rather than mere recognition or deception. This led officers to apply for permission to conduct Goyal's BEOS profiling in July 2025.
BEOS, unlike a polygraph, does not rely on physiological stress responses. Instead, it records EEG brainwave patterns while the subject listens to detailed crime-reconstruction narratives, revealing whether the brain reacts as if the person experienced the act.
The BEOS results, officials said, indicated Goyal's direct involvement -- strengthening the prosecution narrative and enabling his arrest.
The BEOS profiling of Goyal also indicated traces of experiential memory, suggesting a dispute between the couple prior to the murder, police sources said.
Goyal remains under a three-day police remand for questioning and reconstruction of sequence of events.
A three-decade career riddled with turbulence
Professor BB Goyal has been part of Panjab University's University Business School (UBS) for over three decades since the early 1990s, teaching marketing and supervising research scholars, and even going on to lead the department.
Though academically established, his career has rarely been free of dispute. In the early 2000s, he awarded 42 marks on re-evaluation to a student's answer script that had originally scored zero.
The incident was officially recorded as misconduct by the university's syndicate in 2013, and his promotion was cancelled as a penalty. Goyal contested the punishment through a series of petitions, and the university eventually restored his promotion with retrospective seniority under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS), effectively overriding the earlier penalty.
The decision sparked resentment, with senate and syndicate members questioning the reversal of the disciplinary action. The matter resurfaced repeatedly in future official deliberations.
Even his elevation to chairperson in 2020 became contentious. It was legally challenged before the Punjab and Haryana high court, which stayed his elevation, but eventually vacated the order in 2022, paving the way for his appointment as chairperson in April 2022.
Goyal was due to retire in November 2022, but continues to remain in service on extension.
Seen warmly as a teacher, but coldly as a colleague
Students describe Goyal as approachable and generous with internal marks, generally easy-going in class, but sometimes irritable, "particularly towards female students".
Among colleagues, however, his image is sharply different: aggressive, self-centred and "adept at using connections" to turn matters in his favour, despite lacking warmth or camaraderie among faculty.
Many teachers and former senators also expressed disappointment with the varsity's handling of the 2021 murder incident, which they say should have drawn more in-depth attention from both security and humanitarian standpoints.