11 hours ago
Chennai engineer held for sending bomb threats to Udupi school
Udupi: Ahmedabad police have apprehended a Chennai-based female engineer, identified as Rene Joshilda, in connection with a series of hoax bomb threat emails sent to various institutions, including a school in Udupi. The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in addressing the alarming wave of threats that disrupted public safety across multiple states.
On June 16, Vidyodaya Public School in Udupi received a menacing email claiming that a bomb detonation at the school would result in children's deaths, intended to provoke parental protests and compel police action regarding an alleged rape case in Hyderabad. The chilling message prompted the registration of a case at the Udupi City Police Station, sparking an intensive investigation.
Udupi Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar indicated that the local police are likely to seek custody of the accused from Ahmedabad authorities for further probing once their investigation concludes.
Joshilda, an electrical engineer and senior IT consultant, allegedly used fake email IDs, virtual private networks (VPNs), and dark web tools to conceal her identity while sending 21 threatening emails to schools, hospitals, and other high-profile locations across states including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and others.
Her motives, as revealed by Ahmedabad police, stemmed from a desire to frame a male colleague, Divij Prabhakar, whom she wished to marry but who wed another woman in February this year.
According to reports, the threat email was received from an email ID which had the name Divij Prabhakar in arrest has brought relief to Udupi's community, which faced heightened anxiety following the threat. Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine if others were involved, while Udupi police prepare to deepen their inquiry into the local implications of
the case.
