What is BEOS? How does it help in profiling?

Is there any such thing as a Perfect murder? A couple came very close to committing one. It all started in the spring of 2010 when Kamal Singla fell in love with his neighbour Shakuntala. They were young and in love, but society was against their love as they belonged to different castes. Shakuntala’s family searched for a boy of their own caste and got her married elsewhere. Singla was heartbroken by it. He refused to run away with Shakuntala as it would eventually get them caught. He did not want to run and hide for the rest of his life, nor did he want to let go of Shakuntala. So, he decided to commit a murder so flawless it would allow Shakuntala and him to live happily ever after. He took inspiration from movies such as Helen of Troy and Hamraaz. He asked Shakuntala to get married to the man her family searched for her while he planned his murder. Kamal bribed his driver to help him in his almost perfect crime.

Psychological Autopsy: Need of Forensic Psychology

After a month of the marriage, the newlywed couple, Shakuntala and Ravi, went out for their first outing. On their way, they met Kamal and the driver. Shakuntala insisted that they accompany her and Ravi. After dropping her off at a relative’s place, Kamal took Ravi under the pretence of a conversation. Once they reached a secluded spot, Kamal, with the help of his driver, killed Ravi and buried his body in a construction site owned by Kamal. They later dismembered his body into pieces and scattered it over a large stretch of road to misguide investigators. They did not leave any evidence that would link the murder to them. The court ordered a Polygraph test on them, but the results were inconclusive.

It was only in the year 2017, eight years after the murder, that the police got a breakthrough in the case with the help of Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling or BEOS.

What is BEOS?

Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling (BEOS) is an investigative tool developed by C.R.Mukundan, chairman of Axxonet System Technologies Pvt. Ltd., in Forensic Psychology. It is an EEG-based tool that examines the neural signatures of memory and remembrance.

Human memory is broadly divided into two types- Explicit and Implicit memory. Explicit memory is further divided into Semantic and Episodic memory. Semantic memory is the memory of facts, whereas Episodic memory is the memory of events in an individual’s life. Semantic memory could also be understood as conceptual knowledge or knowledge about facts, for example, the Taj Mahal is in Agra. Meanwhile, episodic knowledge can be called experiential knowledge or knowledge acquired only through participation in an event; for example, if a person has visited the Taj Mahal, he/she can recreate those images in the mind of their visiting experience. So when probed with statements like ‘We could see the foundation of the Black Taj’, the individual will immediately be transported to the place and time of the event.

Decoding Minds: Using Forensic Psychology and Psychiatry to Uncover the Complexities of Criminal Behaviour

BEOS helps identify when you have actual experience of an event and when you only have conceptual knowledge of it. In the abovementioned case, police made Kamal and Shakuntala sit for a BEOS recording and wear an EEG cap. They were then made to hear statements from the investigating officer’s hypothesis. Some of those statements showed Kamal and Shakuntala having experienced those events. These were the statements that gave the police a breakthrough, and they were able to find the body of the deceased, Ravi.

BEOS Administration

Similar to any other deception detection method, it is essential in BEOS Profiling to conduct an interview with the suspect and the Investigating officer. This helps the forensic psychologist design the ‘auditory probes’ for the recording. Auditory Probes are small statements presented chronologically to the suspect to cue the memories of the event. These probes are of four types-

Neutral (Example- Red Rose)
Control (Example- I read novels)
Target A- These include statements that align with the investigating officer’s version of events (Example- After X left, I took money from the purse)
Target B- These include statements that align with the suspect’s version of events (Example- After X left, I went back to my room)

All these statements need to be in the first person. The probes are then presented to the suspect in a sequential manner to trigger the individual’s experiential knowledge. These probes are pre-recorded and are presented with help from speakers. Forensic Psychologists present the case in detail to aid investigations and determine potential leads. During the whole BEOS recording, the participant only needs to listen to the ‘Probes’ with closed eyes. BEOS, unlike a polygraph, does not require the suspect to answer and is, therefore, human rights-friendly.

Difference between BEOS and Brain Fingerprinting

BEOS and Brain Fingerprinting are two different techniques that are quite commonly confused with one another. Brain Fingerprinting was developed by Lawrence A. Farwell, whereas BEOS was developed by C.R. Mukundan. Brain Fingerprinting is based on P300 Event-Related Potential on the Brain, whereas BEOS is based on the Experiential Knowledge of an individual triggered by the remembrance of an event. The two technologies have different principles: administration, analysis, and reporting. The only common aspect is that both technologies record brain signals for analysis. P300 is an Event-related potential that indicates recognition or familiarity and is obtained by repeatedly presenting images or words to the participant. In contrast, BEOS presents statements of the events and looks at various neurocognitive steps that occur in the brain. These steps occur during the remembrance of the event. The remembrance in the brain starts with recognising the sensory input and its cognitive judgments, which leads to the remembrance of similar past sensory-motor events, including the recognition of new sensory-motor events in the brain.

BEOS is also referred to as ‘Brain Mapping’ by the media and has proved to be an invaluable tool in investigations by providing solid leads in the cases. BEOS has been in use since 2001 and has helped to solve numerous cases.

References

Authored By

Prashansa Tripathi

Prashansa Tripathi is a Researcher and Forensic Psychologist with a master’s degree in Forensic Psychology and two years of experience. She is dedicated to making forensic psychology accessible to all and is particularly interested in deception and the neuropsychology of truth-telling. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, writing, and exploring nature.

Connect on LinkedIn