Woman ‘sends 21 hoax bomb threats' to Gujarat-based institutions ‘to frame man'
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.
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