'Are you from Bangladesh?' Cop asks Bihar man, says his 'device' can detect citizenship

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A video showing a purported citizenship verification machine being used by the police on a man from Bihar and indicating him as "Bangladeshi" has gone viral on social media, sparking a widespread online debate.

About a week ago, an SHO decided to "put pressure" on residents to reveal their true identity by holding a cellphone to their back like a scanner and telling them it would automatically detect if they were illegals, according to a report by The Times of India.

Not Bajrang Dal members / VHP Member but SHO from Ghaziabad. Has the UP police come up with a new device to detect citizenship of people? The man is claiming he is from Araria district in Bihar. pic.twitter.com/zen1RarKR6

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) January 1, 2026

The verification drive was carried out in Bhowapur slum in Kausbhambi, Ghaziabad, on December 23.

During such drives, a set protocol has to be followed. But a team led by SHO of Kaushambi police, Ajay Sharma, decided to throw in an element of surprise.

A short clip of the incident has now gone viral on social media. In the video, the SHO, accompanied by his team and RAF personnel, was seen questioning a person about his identity card. When the man showed his card and said that he was a resident of Araria in Bihar, Sharma was seen asking whether he was from Bihar or Bangladesh?

He then said he has a device that could immediately tell where the person is from. He asked one of his teammate to bring the machine. Placing the "device", which appeared to be a phone, on the man's back, claiming it can determine his "citizenship", he asked the slum dweller, "Bangladesh ke toh nahi ho? (You're not from Bangladesh, are you?)."

Despite the man stating that he is a resident of Bihar's Araria district, the officer is heard remarking, "Machine toh Bangladeshi dikha rahi hai (The machine is showing you as Bangladeshi)."

Sharma goes on to ask who is a Bangladeshi at the slum if he is not. The slum dweller says there is no one.

The visuals have triggered questions online about police behaviour and whether such technology even exists.

When questioned about his verification method, Sharma defended his actions and told TOI that didn't do anything wrong but "tried to put pressure on them so that they reveal their true identity".

Responding to the controversy, ACP Indirapuram Abhishek Srivastava clarified that the police were conducting routine verification of identities during the search drive. He said the viral clip does not reflect the use of any special or technical device, according to a report by India Today.