A deepfake detection system developed by three students from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology can assess a video in about 20 seconds and alert banking agents to possible manipulation during video-based KYC, according to a report by Jagran. The student team won the first prize and a cash award of Rs 2 lakh at the Rakshak-2026 National AI Cybersecurity Hackathon held at IIT Delhi.
The system was created by team ‘Mama Mia’, comprising Gनी Singh, Yash Bishnoi and Keshav Juneja. The team developed the prototype to address the risk of fraudulent identity verification when a person appearing on a video call may have been digitally altered or replaced using deepfake technology.
According to the report, the system examines signals from four categories of checks before assessing whether a video is genuine or manipulated. These include facial features, physical movements and indicators linked to the camera sensor. If suspicious activity is detected, the system is designed to alert the bank agent so that the KYC process can be stopped or reviewed.
The students said the system has been designed as an architecture that can operate through both a website and an application. It is intended primarily as a business-to-business solution for banks and can be integrated with existing KYC processes. The team also said it planned to keep access free for customers, while banks would use the technology within their verification systems.
The prototype was started about a week before the competition and completed during the hackathon’s allotted 40-hour development period. The team worked on incorporating the technology into existing KYC procedures while considering Reserve Bank of India guidelines and customer requirements, the report said.
The Rakshak-2026 hackathon received more than 4,700 registrations, with 30 teams eventually presenting their solutions. Team ‘Mama Mia’ secured the top position with its face-detection website. Another team, identified as ‘Loser’, developed an application intended to detect virus cloning.
Amazon is expected to support selected teams with Amazon Web Services credits to help them continue developing their technologies. During the event, Amazon India vice-president for legal Rakesh Bakshi said responsible companies should focus on public awareness and investigating unlawful activity. Amazon has also created a Counterfeit Crimes Unit dealing with cases related to fake products.
The event was attended by officials and representatives including IFARSI director Amit Gupta and IIT Delhi student affairs dean Professor Pradyumn S. The report did not provide details of any bank deployment, regulatory approval or independent testing of the Thapar students’ prototype. The immediate next step identified in the report is further technology development using support offered to selected hackathon teams.
