Latest news with #DivijPrabhakar
NDTV
18 hours ago
- NDTV
Obsessive Love, VPNs, 1 Wrong Login: Woman Techie's Bizarre Bomb Hoax Saga
Ahmedabad: Truth is stranger than fiction, and reality more bizarre than crime shows. In a tale of spurned love sure to spawn an OTT series, a 30-year-old robotics engineer from Chennai set off alarm bells in 11 states by allegedly sending hoax bomb threats. She used fake email IDs with the name of her love interest -- who did not love her back and recently married someone else -- to frame him as revenge for her unrequited affection, police have found. For months, 30-year-old Rene Joshilda used VPNs and fake email IDs to stay under the radar as police across multiple states hit a wall while investigating the bomb hoaxes. But one mistake gave her away and led the police to her door. Love, One-Sided And Ruthless According to police, Rene Joshilda completed her engineering from Chennai and then pursued a course in robotics. She had been working in Chennai as a senior consultant at Deloitte. During a project in Bengaluru, she met Divij Prabhakar and fell for him. The attraction, however, was one-sided. Divij never reciprocated Rene's feelings and married someone else this February. This left Rene fuming, and she plotted the most ruthless revenge. She set up several fake email IDs -- different variations of Divij Prabhakar's name -- and started sending bomb threats to schools, hospitals and sports venues. Set Off Alarm In 11 States Rene Joshilda threatened to blow up as many as 21 spots in and around Ahmedabad alone. These included the Narendra Modi stadium in Motera, the Geneva Liberal School in Sarkhej and a civil hospital, Joint CP (Crime) Ahmedabad Sharad Singhal has told the media. Threats were sent to 11 states before public processions and VVIP visits. These threats set off security alerts, prompting cops to mobilise forces urgently, only to find they were chasing a hoax. The states that received these threats include Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Telangana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana. Claimed Role In AI 171 Crash On June 12, Air India's Ahmedabad-London flight crashed shortly after take-off. The AI-171 crash claimed at least 274 lives, including passengers and civilians in the building the Boeing aircraft crashed into. The plane had hit the BJ Medical College building after take-off. Following the crash, the college administration received an email. "I think now you know power. Like we sent you mail yesterday, we crashed the Air India plane with our former CM (Vijay Rupani). We know the police would have thought that the plane crash was a hoax and ignored it. Well done to our pilot. Now you know we are not playing. Now you know." This mail, police said, has been traced to Rene Joshilda. She did not know then that police were closing in. Mistake That Proved To Be Her Undoing According to Ahmedabad police, Rene Joshilda covered her tracks well while sending out threats, thanks to her tech expertise. "The number she would use to create email IDs would be virtual. She sent threat emails through Tor browser (a network for anonymous communication) and the Dark Web. She took a lot of precautions. She was very smart and never revealed her digital trail. But she made a small mistake and our cyber crime wing and crime branch tracked her down," Sharad Singhal said. According to an Ahmedabad Mirror report, Rene Joshilda's made a mistake six months back and that one misstep did her in. Investigators found that despite her immense caution, she logged into her real and fake email accounts from the same device on one occasion. This exposed her IP address and tied her to the hoax emails. "That one careless login gave her away," a police officer said.
News18
18 hours ago
- News18
Woman Wanted Marriage. Her Partner Did Not. What Followed Were 21 Bomb Threats To Gujarat
Last Updated: 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
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business Standard
Chennai woman sent bomb threats to avenge 'one-sided love', arrested
A senior consultant at Deloitte has been arrested by the cyber crime unit in Ahmedabad for allegedly sending hoax bomb threats across multiple Indian states via the dark web, in an attempt to frame a man she was romantically interested in. The accused, identified as Reni Joshilda, is a Chennai resident with a background in robotics. Her arrest followed a large-scale investigation involving coordination between cyber units from across the country. Revenge over unrequited love, say police Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sharad Singhal confirmed that Joshilda had a one-sided affair with Divij Prabhakar, who married another woman in February 2025. 'The main accused in the case is Reni Joshilda from Chennai. She is qualified in robotics and currently employed as a senior consultant at Deloitte. She had a one-sided affair with one Divij Prabhakar, whom she wanted to marry,' Singhal stated. Digital trail leads police to Chennai Singhal said, 'Due to this, she wanted to frame Divij Prabhakar by creating many email IDs in his name. She used to operate using the Dark Web to send threats and never revealed her digital trail.' However, one digital misstep enabled authorities to trace her back to Chennai. 'One mistake from her helped us track her to Chennai. We have recovered many digital and paper evidence. With this, we have busted a big module,' he added. Investigation still underway Police are currently examining whether others were involved in the conspiracy or if Joshilda was responsible for similar threats in other regions. Further investigation is ongoing, with law enforcement officials from 11 states continuing to coordinate efforts.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Woman ‘sends 21 hoax bomb threats' to Gujarat-based institutions ‘to frame man'
The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime police on Monday arrested a senior consultant at Deloitte, Chennai, for allegedly sending 21 hoax bomb threats to schools, a medical college, and a stadium in Gujarat — all in an 'attempt to frame a man she was in love with, but who had married someone else.' The accused, identified as Rene Joshilda from Chennai, allegedly created fake email IDs in the name of Divij Prabhakar, the person she intended to implicate, and sent a series of threatening messages between May and June 2025. According to the police, Joshilda also falsely claimed responsibility for the Air India flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, stating in an email that the pilots were 'working for her'. One of the first threats was received by Geneva Liberal School on June 3, with the email stating: 'Police are sleeping, they cannot do anything… We are going to blast a bomb in your school to bring to police's attention about the rapist who raped the girl in Lemon Tree hotel in Hyderabad in 2023.' Following a complaint from the school, an FIR was lodged at the Cyber Crime police station in Ahmedabad. The investigation led officers to Chennai, where Joshilda was arrested. She allegedly confessed to sending the emails and to fabricating multiple IDs in Prabhakar's name. 'She had a one-sided relationship with Divij Prabhakar, who married someone else in February 2025,' said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sharad Singhal at a press conference. 'To frame him, she created multiple email accounts in his name and used them to send bomb threats across the country. She also used the dark web to mask her digital footprint.' Joshilda, a robotics engineer by qualification, allegedly sent threats not only in Gujarat but to 11 other states, targeting events involving VIP movement or large gatherings. 'These threats misdirected police resources and spread panic among citizens,' said JCP Singhal. 'Her arrest is significant, especially with the Jagannath Rath Yatra scheduled in Ahmedabad on June 27.' In Gujarat alone, Joshilda is said to have sent four threat emails to Geneva Liberal School on June 3, 5, 12, and 15, three emails to Divya Jyoti School in Bopal on June 14 and 15, and 13 threats to the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 7 and 13. One of the emails to the stadium read: *'Bomb successfully planted in Narendra Modi Stadium… India has 1,500 trained military and army involved in this mission for Operation Sindoor. Women officers take the lead… India is prepared with more drones to attack…' On June 12, following the Air India crash, she also allegedly sent an email to BJ Medical College: 'I think now you know power. Like we sent you a mail yesterday, we crashed the Air India plane with our former CM… Well done to our pilot. Now you know we are not playing.' The Gujarat Police are coordinating with counterparts in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Telangana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, where similar hoax threats were reportedly sent.
