Facial recognition error prompts police to arrest Asian man for burglary 100 miles away

February 25, 2026

TL;DR

Alvi Choudhury was arrested for a burglary he did not commit after facial recognition software matched him with a suspect 100 miles away.
The software, used by Thames Valley police, is known to produce a higher rate of false positives for Asian faces compared to white faces.
Choudhury, who was at his home in Southampton, was handcuffed and held in custody for almost 10 hours before being released.
He claims the suspect in the CCTV footage looked significantly younger and had different features.
Choudhury is seeking damages against Thames Valley police and Hampshire constabulary, citing potential bias in the facial recognition technology.
He also highlights that his mugshot was on file due to a previous wrongful arrest in 2021.
Thames Valley police admitted the arrest 'may have been the result of bias' but denied it was unlawful, stating the arrest was based on officers' visual assessment.

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