Bizarre: Mumbai airport's DigiYatra gate denies entry to twins
07 Jan 2026

In a bizarre incident, two identical twin brothers were denied entry at Mumbai airport's DigiYatra gate.

The facial recognition system of the automated entry point couldn't differentiate between the two siblings, leading to the unusual situation.

The incident was captured on video by one of the brothers and shared on Instagram. It has since gone viral, highlighting the limitations of facial recognition technology in cases involving people with similar features.

DigiYatra fails to identify twins
Tech glitch

Prashant Menon, one of the twins, shared a video from the DigiYatra gate at Mumbai airport.

In the clip, he explained how both he and his brother had registered with DigiYatra but were denied entry because their faces matched.

"I am at the airport with my twin brother. We have both registered in DigiYatra. See the magic of DigiYatra," he said in Hindi.

DigiYatra's response to the incident
Official reply

In response to the viral video, DigiYatra Foundation issued a statement acknowledging the issue. The organization said, "Dear Prashant, we appreciate you for highlighting this. We've reached out to you via DM with more details to assist further."

Social media reactions
Online responses

The video of the incident has gone viral, with social media users reacting with a mix of humor and concern.

One user quipped, "Sita and Gita were not included in the training model for this AI," while another said, "Too funny. And equally concerning."

A third user offered a technical perspective on the matter, saying that the system was flagging an anomaly in their faces and sending them for manual verification at a counter.

Understanding DigiYatra's facial recognition technology
Tech details

DigiYatra is a facial recognition-based airport entry system that matches a passenger's face with their boarding and ID details for contactless access.

The system aims to reduce waiting times by automating verification, but manual checks are available if the technology detects discrepancies.

The incident at Mumbai airport highlights the potential challenges of using such systems in cases of identical twins or people with similar facial features.