Udupi: In a major breakthrough, Ahmedabad City Cyber Crime Branch has apprehended Rene Joshilda, a Chennai-based electrical engineer and senior IT consultant, for allegedly sending bomb threat emails to a school in Udupi City and several other institutions across India.
Rene, who used fake email IDs, social media aliases, VPNs, virtual numbers, and even dark web tools, had orchestrated 21 threat emails targeting educational institutions in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Bihar, Telangana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana.
The investigation was launched after Geneva Liberal School in Sarkhej, Ahmedabad, received a bomb threat email on June 3, 2025, at 10:58 AM from the ID divijprabhakaraO@gmail.com. Following a complaint by Vishnubhai Chamanbhai Khakhadiya, cyber teams led by Joint Commissioner Shri Sharad Singhal, DCP Dr. Lavina Sinha, and ACP Shri Hardik Makadia began a multi-layered technical and human intelligence probe.
Detailed cyber forensic analysis traced the origin to Chennai, where a police team moved in and arrested Rene Joshilda. Legal action has been initiated, and the accused is currently in custody.
Udupi SP Hariram Shankar confirmed the development and said, “We will request Ahmedabad Police to hand over the accused after their investigation concludes, so we can pursue the case from our jurisdiction.”