Bengaluru, Nov 6 (IANS) A heartbroken woman robotic engineer, previously employed as a senior consultant in a reputed company, was arrested by the Bengaluru Cyber Crime Police for allegedly sending fake bomb threat emails to several schools in the city and across the country, said police on Thursday.

The accused, identified as 30-year-old Rene Joshilda, originally from Gujarat, had reportedly sent bomb threat emails to at least seven schools in Bengaluru, as well as to educational institutions in Chennai, Hyderabad, Gujarat, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Haryana — spanning a total of 11 states, police said.

According to investigators, the woman used VPN services to conceal her location and sent the emails using a virtual mobile number obtained through an app called “Gate Code”. Authorities also discovered that she was operating six to seven WhatsApp accounts under different identities to execute her plan.

Investigations revealed that the accused was in love with a man named Prabhakar, but their relationship soured after Prabhakar married another woman in February. Acting out of anger and revenge, she allegedly sent the bomb threat emails using his name, intending to frame or embarrass him.

Police found that she had sent 21 fake bomb threats in Gujarat and six in Bengaluru, along with similar messages in several other states. Her actions triggered widespread panic and security alerts in multiple schools across India.

In a shocking twist, the woman had also falsely claimed responsibility for an “Ahmedabad-to-London plane crash”. She sent emails stating that a Boeing aircraft flying from Ahmedabad to London had exploded, a claim that authorities later confirmed to be entirely fabricated.

After making the false plane crash claim, she reportedly sent another email to a school, writing: “I think you know the power — like we sent you an email yesterday. We crashed the Air India plane with our former CM Vijay Rupani. We know the police would have thought that plane crash was a hoax and ignored it — well done to our pilot. Now you know we are not playing.”

Investigators later confirmed that she herself had sent the email using fake online identities.

Following a series of such threats in Bengaluru, Police Commissioner Semaant Kumar Singh formed a special investigation team (SIT) to track down the culprit. The team was led by Joint Commissioner of Police (West) Vamshi Krishna and DCP (North) Nemagowda, with CEN ACP Pawan serving as the investigating officer.

Police said that the accused had previously been arrested by Chennai Police for similar offences and that a coordinated inter-state investigation is now underway.

Authorities described the case as one of the most complex cyber hoaxes in recent times, given the accused’s technical expertise and the widespread panic caused by her emails.

The Karnataka Police had taken the accused into their custody through a body warrant from Ahmedabad prison. She had confessed to her role regarding the hoax bomb threat case reported from the Kalasipalya police station limits. After the investigation, the accused was sent back to the Gujarat prison.

Joshilda was arrested in June by the Gujarat Police. She had threatened to blow up as many as 21 spots in and around Ahmedabad, including the Narendra Modi stadium in Motera.

Accused Rene Joshilda lived in Chennai, and she studied BE Electrical. She previously worked in a tech company in Bengaluru.

–IANS

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