Chennai, June 24: A woman who claimed responsibility for the deadly London-bound Air India AI171 crash in Ahmedabad was arrested in Chennai by the Gujarat Police on June 23. The accused, Rene Joshilda, a robotics engineer and senior consultant at Deloitte, had sent multiple hoax emails threatening bomb blasts across 12 states. Investigations revealed that she orchestrated the threats to frame a man who rejected her and married another woman. Using fake email IDs, VPNs, and the dark web, she attempted to mask her identity.

According to the Hindustan Times report, Joshilda had developed an unrequited affection for Divij Prabhakar and was devastated when he married another woman in February. Driven by vengeance, she created multiple fake email IDs, some in his name, and used them to send bomb threat emails to key locations, including the Narendra Modi Stadium, BJ Medical College, and several schools in Ahmedabad. Her intention was to falsely implicate Prabhakar in these terror threats. Gujarat High Court Receives Bomb Threat, Probe Launched.

The Gujarat Police said Joshilda sent at least 21 hoax threat emails targeting locations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Punjab, and other states. In one chilling email, she even claimed responsibility for the Air India flight crash, writing, “We crashed the Air India plane yesterday. You thought it was a hoax. Now you know we’re serious.” The threatening messages caused panic and led to extensive security checks across states. Air India Plane Crash: 190 Victims Identified by DNA Tests, 159 Bodies Handed Over to Kin, Says Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.

Despite her attempts to stay anonymous using VPNs, virtual numbers, and the dark web, Joshilda made a critical digital error that helped investigators trace her location. She was arrested at her Chennai residence following a coordinated cyber probe by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell. Police said she was technically sound and used her skills to cover her tracks, but digital forensics and surveillance ultimately led to her capture.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2025 03:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).