Latest news with #ReneJoshilda
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Time of India
Chennai tech consultant denies involvement in bomb threat mail case
Ahmedabad: Rene Joshilda, a 32-year-old tech consultant from Chennai, who was arrested for allegedly sending over 21 hoax bomb threat emails across 12 states—including Gujarat—has claimed she was being falsely implicated. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The emails had triggered panic across schools, hospitals, and key public sites including the Narendra Modi Stadium and BJ Medical College. "She was difficult from the start, lashing out at officers and denying involvement in fluent English," said a senior cybercrime official. According to the FIR, during questioning at the Shahibaug Cyber Crime office, Joshilda screamed, "I don't want to live, I want to die," climbed onto a table, picked up a poker, and attempted to assault officers. One officer was reportedly suffered injury due to her nails during the scuffle. She was booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for assaulting public servants and obstructing govt work. Sources in the cybercrime unit alleged that Joshilda's actions were driven by personal revenge. She allegedly targeted a male colleague she was infatuated with, after he married someone else. In a bid to frame him, she reportedly sent threats under male aliases and even linked him to false rape and terror allegations. Joshilda, who worked with Deloitte USI, was tracked down using digital forensics despite her extensive use of VPNs, dark web tools, fake email accounts, and over 80 virtual phone numbers to mask her identity. Investigators say a minor digital slip eventually led them to her. She was arrested from Chennai and brought to Ahmedabad. For the first two days, she cried and pleaded innocence, but later took a calmer approach, insisting she wasn't involved in any crime, said cyber crime sleuths.
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Time of India
ESIC Hospital in Sodala evacuated after bomb threat email
Edited 359 Jaipur: ESIC Hospital, located near Orbit Mall on Ajmer Road, was evacuated Wednesday after an email, claiming to be from terrorist Ajmal Kasab, threatened a bomb attack on its premises. The hospital administration alerted police, who responded along with the fire brigade, bomb squad, civil defence, and other emergency teams. A full-scale search was launched, but no explosives or suspicious items were found. The cyber cell began investigating the origin and contents of the email, which claimed that an IPS officer from Tamil Nadu issued fake passports to former LTTE members with the help of his wife's travel agency. The message said these individuals were recruited by Pakistan and were carrying mobile phones and chemical-triggered fuses. The email also alleged they were travelling in a vehicle and intended to cause mass casualties at the hospital. The sender warned that if they suspected the plan was compromised, they would either trigger the fuse or release nerve gas through an IED. The message urged the Anti-Terrorism Squad to take immediate action and to contact the officer mentioned. The email stressed that the threat was not a hoax and that the fake passports could be traced to locations linked to the Assistant Commissioner of Intelligence in Madurai. It called for swift yet careful verification and response. When the email was received, the hospital was bustling with patients and staff. The premises were evacuated, and security measures were put in place. Wednesday's incident is the latest in a series of bomb threats targeting Jaipur. The city received at least 65 hoax threat emails in 2025, most of which targeted schools, with additional threats aimed at stadiums, court complexes, metro stations, hotels, medical colleges, and the airport. On May 8, 12, and 13, threatening emails warned of bombings at Sawai Man Singh Stadium. The May 13 threat also included a demand for justice for a rape survivor. A 30-year-old woman, identified as Rene Joshilda, was arrested last week by Ahmedabad police for sending these emails. On May 9, Jaipur Metro was also targeted with a similar threat via email, referring to "Operation Sindoor." That search, too, ended without any explosive device being found.
Hindustan Times
26-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Hoax threats, Air India crash link: Inside techie's revenge plot for unrequited love
Unrequited love, vengeance and a big cyber crime bust - A senior consultant, Rene Joshilda, used her technical skills to frame the man who rejected her and married someone else. The wreckage of the crashed Air India plane. (Source: HT)(Raju Shinde/HT Photo) Using anonymous accounts, Rene sent numerous hoax bomb emails, including one to the medical college on whose hostel building the ill-fated AI-171 crashed on June 13. However, a small slip-up led to her arrest in Chennai. Rene Joshilda is an engineer trained in Robotics, and had been working as a senior consultant at Deloitte in Chennai since 2022. She was in love with one Divij Prabhakar, but he never reciprocated. Rene dreamt she would one day marry Divij, but was left shattered when he married someone else. Blinded by the will to take revenge, Rene decided to use her technical knowledge to spread panic with hoax bomb threats. She did so using different email IDs, some of which were in Divij's name. According to police, she used fake email IDs, virtual private networks (VPNs), and the dark web to mask her identity and hide her location. "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," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sharad Singhal told news agency PTI. Her mails were meticulously timed to create panic, and usually came ahead of religious processions or visits by VIPs, police said. Rene sent 13 threat emails to Narendra Modi Stadium, four to Geneva Liberal School, three to Divya Jyoti School and one to BJ Medical College, police said. Besides, she also sent such mails to locations in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Telangana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana, police said. Threat linked to Air India crash One of Rene Joshilda's threatening mails also involved the Air India plane crash of June 13, India's worst aviation disaster in decades. She had sent an e-mail to BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, saying the crash was orchestrated and not an accident. "I think now you know power. Like we sent you mail yesterday we crashed the Air India plane with our former CM. We know the police would have thought that the plane crash was a hoax and ignored it," a mail to the medical college sent after the crash read. "Well done to our pilot. Now you know we are not playing. Now you know," the mail further said. All but one person aboard the AI-171 died in the deadly plane crash, and the total death toll stands at 260, including 19 non-passengers. The plane had crashed on the medical college's hostel building within seconds of take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. (With PTI inputs)
Hindustan Times
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
'I crashed Air India plane': Chennai techie's shocking revenge plot for man who married someone else
What began as an investigation into claim of downing the Air India plane that crashed in Gujarat's Ahmedabad and bomb threats targeting the Narendra Modi Stadium in the city as well as multiple sites across 12 Indian states has ended in a bizarre twist — a tale of unreciprocated love, personal revenge, and cyber deception. Ahmedabad: A crane being used to clear the debris of the crashed Air India plane, in Ahmedabad, Saturday, June 14, 2025.(PTI) Ahmedabad Police on Monday said it arrested a woman who allegedly orchestrated a wave of terror threats in a calculated attempt to frame a man who had rejected her. The accused, Rene Joshilda, a senior consultant at a multinational company in Tamil Nadu's Chennai, was arrested after an extensive digital surveillance operation traced the source of the hoax emails, according to a PTI news agency report. Loved the man but it was one-sided She loved Divij Prabhakar and wanted to marry him but it remained one-sided, PTI quoted joint commissioner of police (crime) Sharad Singhal, explaining the motive. 'Her dreams crashed when Prabhakar married another girl in February, filling her with revulsion and revenge,' he added. According to police, Joshilda created fake email IDs — some in Prabhakar's name — and used virtual private networks (VPNs), virtual phone numbers, and even the dark web to mask her identity. Despite her sophisticated attempts to cover her digital trail, a small misstep ultimately led cyber crime officers to her doorstep in Chennai. Woman trained in robotics, employed at Deloitte Rene Joshilda, an engineer trained in robotics and employed at Deloitte since 2022, is accused of sending hoax threat emails to high-profile locations, including the Narendra Modi Stadium, BJ Medical College, and schools in Ahmedabad. She also allegedly targeted several other locations in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Telangana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana — with emails often timed ahead of major religious events or VIP visits. One of the threatening messages read: "Bomb successfully planted in Narendra Modi Stadium. Save the stadium if you can." Claimed to down Air India plane Another ominous email to Ahmedabad's BJ Medical College, whose hostel the ill-fated Air India plane crashed into on June 12, referred to a crash of the airline's aircraft. "I think now you know power. Like we sent you mail yesterday we crashed the Air India plane with our former CM... Now you know we are not playing," the mail read, seemingly referring to the June 12 Air India plane crash. The investigation, however, stemmed from an FIR registered at Sarkhej police station in Ahmedabad after a threat mail was received by a school on June 3, 2025. The sender wrote she wanted to attract attention to a 2023 rape case in Hyderabad. "Going to blast the bomb in your school to bring police attention about the rapist who raped the girl in Lemon Tree Hotel in Hyderabad in 2023." In total, she sent: 13 threat emails to Narendra Modi Stadium 4 to Geneva Liberal School 3 to Divya Jyoti School 1 to BJ Medical College 'She allegedly sent emails to various locations in 11 other states besides Gujarat,' said Singhal, emphasizing the coordinated response from state cyber crime teams across the country. '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,' he added. 'We can say that we have busted a big module.' Rene Joshilda's use of her technical skills for personal vengeance, police say, created widespread panic and misled law enforcement across India — all stemming from a deeply personal vendetta and emotional heartbreak.
Hans India
25-06-2025
- Hans India
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.
