A case of impersonation during the Common Entrance Test (CET) was foiled at a Bengaluru exam centre on Thursday, thanks to the Karnataka Examinations Authority’s (KEA) newly introduced QR code-based facial recognition app.
The incident took place at Silver Valley Public PU College in Malleswaram, where a girl attempted to appear for the mathematics paper using a forged admit card. She had used the hall ticket number of a legitimate candidate, but altered the name and photograph.
According to the KEA, the impersonator identified herself as Tuba Fathima Jameel. After arriving at the test centre, she went directly to the restroom and remained there for nearly an hour. As the exam was about to start, she emerged and presented the fake admit card with a QR code at the verification point.
However, the facial recognition software flagged a mismatch between her face and the credentials embedded in the QR code. Upon this discovery, officials attempted to alert the principal, but the girl fled the scene before further action could be taken.
Subsequent investigation revealed that she had pasted her photograph on the admit card of Tabu Naz, a genuine candidate registered at the same centre. While she had altered the name, she retained the hall ticket number and QR code but entered incorrect test dates.
KEA has launched an official inquiry and asked the college principal to submit a detailed report along with CCTV footage. Legal action is being pursued, said KEA Executive Director H Prasanna.
This is the first time KEA has implemented the facial recognition verification system. Despite being in just its third day of use, the app performed efficiently without any technical glitches.
The CET concluded on Thursday with a 92.9% overall attendance. Attendance for the mathematics paper stood at 92%, while 91% appeared for biology and 94% for other subjects. Over 3.3 lakh students had registered for the examination this year.
