‘Fake email IDs, VPNs, dark web’: Engineer sends 21 bomb threats to frame man she wanted to marry, but makes one mistake

A probe into the matter has revealed shocking details.

According to the probe, unrequited love and vengeance led the accused woman, identified as Rene Joshilda, to commit the unlawful actions.

After a man whom Joshilda wanted to marry tied the knot with another woman, the accused decided to avenge the ‘rejection’ and used deception to wreak havoc in his life.

The accused woman used fake email IDs, virtual private networks (VPNs), and the dark web to hide her identity and location, said the police.

Blinded by one-sided love, she used her technical knowledge to spread panic, blissfully unaware of the impact of her actions on innocent people who could become unintentional targets due to hoax bomb emails.

Joshilda, an engineer trained in Robotics, has been working as a senior consultant at a multinational firm in Chennai since 2022.

Following a technical surveillance, she was arrested by the Ahmedabad cyber crime team from her residence in Chennai on Saturday.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sharad Singhal on Monday said Rene Joshilda created different email IDs, some of which were in the name of Divij Prabhakar, whom she wanted to marry.

“She has done her engineering from Chennai and a course in Robotics. Currently, she is a senior consultant at Deloitte. She loved Divij Prabhakar and wanted to marry him, but it remained one-sided,” Singhal told reporters.

“In a bid to frame him, she created different email IDs, some of which were in the name of Prabhakar,” the police officer added.

Joshilda sent emails from anonymous accounts threatening to blow up the Narendra Modi Stadium, BJ Medical College, and at least two schools in Ahmedabad.

“She allegedly sent emails to various locations in 11 other states also (besides Gujarat), timing them ahead of some religious processions or visits by VIPs,” he said.

How was she arrested?

Police from several states coordinated with the cyber crime police of Ahmedabad.

“The accused used virtual numbers to create fake email IDs and used the dark web,” Singhal said.

However, a small mistake on Rene Joshilda’s part led investigators to her.

“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,” Singhal said.

The police recovered significant digital and paper evidence against Joshilda.

“We can say that we have busted a big module,” the police officer said.