Woman Wanted Marriage. Her Partner Did Not. What Followed Were 21 Bomb Threats To Gujarat

News18

a day ago

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Rene Joshilda was in love with Divij Prabhakar, who married another woman earlier this year.
A nationwide investigation into hoax bomb threats led to the arrest of a Chennai-based engineer, accused of sending 21 threatening emails across Gujarat in an attempt to frame a man she once hoped to marry. The accused, identified as Rene Joshilda, is a senior consultant at a multinational firm in Chennai.
Rene Joshilda was in love with Divij Prabhakar, who married another woman earlier this year. Unable to accept the rejection, she allegedly used her technical expertise to launch a targeted campaign of fear and misinformation, police said.
'She loved Divij Prabhakar and wanted to marry him, but it remained one-sided. Her dreams crashed when Prabhakar married another girl in February, filling her with revulsion and revenge," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sharad Singhal said.
Investigators say Rene Joshilda used fake email IDs, VPNs, virtual numbers and the dark web to send hoax emails threatening bomb blasts at key public sites including the Narendra Modi Stadium, BJ Medical College and multiple schools in Ahmedabad.
'In a bid to frame him, she created different email IDs, some of which were in the name of Prabhakar," the police said.
The case began with an FIR filed on June 3 at Sarkhej police station in Ahmedabad after a school received a threat mail. Over the following days, more emails surfaced, claiming bombs had been planted in various institutions. One such email read, 'Bomb successfully planted in Narendra Modi Stadium. Save the stadium if you can."
Another, referencing a recent aviation disaster, claimed, 'Like we sent you mail yesterday, we crashed the Air India plane with our former CM… Now you know we are not playing."
Rene Joshilda allegedly timed the emails to coincide with VIP visits and religious events in 12 states, including Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Despite her use of advanced anonymization tools, investigators say a minor technical oversight led to her identification.
'We were tracking her for a long time. She was very smart and didn't reveal her virtual trail, but due to a small mistake of hers, we tracked her and caught her from her house in Chennai," police said. Police recovered significant digital and paper evidence linking her to the threats.
First Published:
June 24, 2025, 15:44 IST