IT consultant held for nationwide bomb hoax to frame colleague over one-sided love

 

By Sumesh Rajan | June 24, 2025

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, INDIA: In a case of personal obsession turning into a national security scare, a senior IT consultant working with multinational firm Deloitte in Chennai has been arrested for allegedly sending hoax bomb threats across 12 Indian states in a calculated attempt to frame a former colleague who had declined her romantic advances.

The accused, identified as Rene Joshilda, 29, was taken into custody on Saturday June 21 by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch following an intensive multi-state investigation. Officials said she had used advanced digital tools to mask her identity while orchestrating a fake terror plot to implicate Divij Prabhakar, a man she had reportedly loved but who married another woman earlier this year.

“This was a meticulously planned digital attack motivated by unrequited love and personal vendetta,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Sharad Singhal. “She created fake email IDs, some in the name of Divij Prabhakar, and used VPNs, virtual numbers, and the dark web to conceal her trail.”

Sophisticated Plot, Emotional Trigger

Joshilda, an engineering graduate with a specialization in Robotics and executive credentials in AI and Machine Learning, came in contact with Prabhakar during virtual work meetings. The two later met in person in Bengaluru in 2022. While Prabhakar did not reciprocate her romantic interest, Joshilda grew increasingly obsessed, police said.

Her psychological breakdown reportedly intensified after learning of Prabhakar’s wedding in February 2025. Investigators revealed that between February and June, she crafted and sent at least 21 hoax emails threatening bomb blasts in multiple states, targeting public institutions such as schools, hospitals, and the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

“She even went to the extent of faking photographs with Divij, claiming falsely that they were married, and circulated them in their professional circle to defame him,” a senior police officer said.

The Bomb Threats

The first red flag appeared on June 3, when Geneva Liberal School in Ahmedabad received a chilling email:

"Going to blast the bomb in your school to bring police attention about the rapist who raped the girl in Lemon Tree Hotel in Hyderabad in 2023."

This prompted an FIR at Sarkhej Police Station and launched a joint cyber investigation spanning multiple jurisdictions. The emails—sent to educational institutions, medical colleges, and public venues—were timed to coincide with VIP visits and religious events. One particularly disturbing email read:

"Bomb successfully planted in Narendra Modi Stadium. Save the stadium if you can."

Another claimed responsibility for a fictitious crash of an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London on June 12, which she falsely claimed killed over 260 people, including a former chief minister. “We know the police would have thought the plane crash was a hoax… Now you know we are not playing,” the email read.

Digital Traces and Arrest

Despite her efforts to erase all virtual footprints using multiple VPNs, burner accounts, and dark web tools, a minor digital oversight led investigators to her IP location in Chennai. Cyber experts used advanced forensic methods to identify her as the source of the threatening communications.

“She was very smart, but not flawless,” said JCP Singhal. “One mistake exposed her. We tracked her for weeks before arresting her from her home.”

Authorities recovered significant digital and paper evidence from her residence. These included scripts, printed drafts of emails, and evidence of the fake email IDs—some created in the name of Prabhakar and others with provocative addresses like pakistanjkweb@gmail.com and ipakistanwar@gmail.com.

Prior History of Harassment

This was not her first attempt to harass Prabhakar. According to the police, she had previously lodged fake social media accounts to target him and others. A complaint filed by Prabhakar with the Chennai Cyber Cell earlier this year prompted local monitoring, but the nationwide scale of the hoax threats only emerged after the June 3 email.

Among the recipients of her threats were Geneva Liberal School, Divya Jyoti School, BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, and institutions in Delhi, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Punjab, Bihar, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh.

Charges and Further Investigation

Joshilda faces charges under multiple sections of the IPC and IT Act related to criminal intimidation, cyber terrorism, and impersonation. Law enforcement officials across the affected states have been alerted to pursue parallel investigations. Central agencies are also likely to join the probe given the scale and sensitive nature of the threats.

“We’ve busted a big and unusual digital threat module,” Singhal stated. “This case is a grim reminder of how personal obsession, coupled with technological access, can turn into a national threat.”

Joshilda remains in police custody as further interrogation continues. Authorities are now investigating whether she acted alone or had any digital collaborators.