A candidate who topped the Haveri district merit list in the Karnataka Village Administrative Officer (VAO) recruitment examination allegedly used Google Lens to scan the question paper and find answers during the test, a police investigation has revealed.

The Shiggaon police have registered a case against Shankar Bannur, 31, and arrested him late Sunday. Bannur appeared for the VAO recruitment exam on October 4 and scored 151 out of 200 marks, emerging as the topper.

However, some candidates raised suspicions on social media , where they shared the details of his marks and the results of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) constable exam, in which he scored 25 out of 100. The Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) organised both exams.

What the police say

Following an inquiry ordered by KEA, the police analysed CCTV footage at the exam hall in Shiggaon.

“During the questioning, we confronted him with the CCTV footage, and he confessed to using a mobile phone.…