Kerala NEET aspirant forgets photo for verification, cops arrange it with crime-scene photographer

A group of cops turned saviours for a NEET aspirant who forgot to bring her passport-size photos at an exam centre in Kochi’s Elamakkara on Sunday. Sana Jose, from Vypin, had come to the Elamakkara Punnackal GHSS for the NEET re-exam.

During the document verification, Sana realised that she had not brought the passport-sized photos necessary for verification. For students like Sana, the cancellation of NEET exam following paper leak had been crushing enough. At the entrance of the examination centre, her heart sank and she knew, she could only blame herself.                      

 Without all the documents, her entry to the exam hall would be denied. Seeing a dejected Sana, civil police officers Aswathy and Chinju decided to step in. They tried to contact the relative who dropped her off at the centre, but to no avail.

“We tried contacting her uncle, who had dropped her off at the centre. It seems he left in a hurry because of a hospital case. Even the student herself had come directly from the hospital,” said CPO Aswathy. Realising there was no other way, they contacted their senior officer, SI Lalu Joseph of the Elamakkara Police Station.

Upon learning about the situation, the SI and other police officers contacted studios at the nearby Punnakkal and Pottakuzhy junctions.

It was already 1:00 pm, and since the exam was on a Sunday, the nearby photo studios were closed. However, a ray of hope emerged when Binu, the owner of Zion Studio at the Deshabhimani junction, decided to help.

Binu is also the inquest photographer of Elamakkara Police Station. Upon realising the gravity of the situation, he immediately opened the studio.

A postcard-sized photograph of the student was sent through CPO Mahesh, who went to the studio and procured the passport-sized photographs. After the photographs were submitted, Sana was permitted to write the exam.