Engineer Claims Responsibility for Air India Plane Crash in Revenge Plots, Police Say
- A robotics engineer from Chennai has been arrested for allegedly masterminding a nationwide bomb hoax campaign and falsely claiming responsibility for a deadly Air India crash
- Police say the elaborate scheme was driven by a vendetta rooted in unrequited love and aimed at framing a former colleague
- The suspect reportedly used dark web tools and fake identities to trigger panic across 11 states before a single digital slip exposed her
A robotics engineer from Chennai has been arrested after allegedly orchestrating a complex web of hoax bomb threats and falsely claiming responsibility for a deadly Air India crash, all in a bid to avenge unrequited love, police said.
The suspect, Rene Joshilda, 30, reportedly targeted multiple institutions across 11 Indian states in what authorities have described as one of the most elaborate revenge plots in recent memory.
Source: Getty Images
Robotics Engineer used dark web in bomb hoax campaign
According to a report by The Times of India, Joshilda deployed advanced digital tools, including fake email accounts, VPNs, and the Tor browser, to send bomb threats to schools, hospitals, and stadiums in at least 21 locations.
Investigators said she even claimed responsibility for the 12 June Air India crash in Ahmedabad, which killed at least 274 people, including crew members and civilians on the ground.
Her alleged campaign of terror was designed to frame a former colleague, Divij Prabhakar, who had not reciprocated her romantic interest. Police said Joshilda created multiple email accounts using variations of Prabhakar’s name to send the threats, hoping to implicate him.
Unrequited love allegedly sparked revenge plot
Joshilda, a senior consultant at Deloitte since 2022, reportedly developed feelings for Prabhakar during a joint project in Bengaluru.
However, Prabhakar married in February this year, and investigators believe the rejection triggered a disturbing spiral.
“When they were working together, she used to create fake email accounts and harass any woman who showed any interest in her secret lover. In one case, she harassed a woman colleague suspecting her to be interested in the male colleague to the extent that she quit her job,” police said.
False crash claim sent shockwaves through agencies
In one of her most brazen acts, Joshilda allegedly emailed BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, claiming responsibility for the Air India crash. The message read:
“I think now you know power. Like we sent you mail yesterday, we crashed the Air India plane with our former CM (Vijay Rupani). We know the police would have thought that the plane crash was a hoax and ignored it. Well done to our pilot. Now you know we are not playing. Now you know.”
The email reportedly caused alarm among investigative agencies, especially given the high death toll and the sensitive nature of the incident.
Bomb threats spread across 11 states
Authorities said Joshilda threatened to bomb 21 locations in Ahmedabad alone, including the Narendra Modi Stadium, Geneva Liberal School, and a civil hospital.
The hoax campaign extended to Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Telangana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana.
Cybercrime unit cracks the case after digital slip
Despite her use of encrypted servers and anonymous browsing, Joshilda’s meticulous digital cover was undone by a single mistake. Police said she logged into both her real and fake email accounts from the same device, revealing her true IP address.
“She took a lot of precautions. She was very smart and never revealed her digital trail. But she made a small mistake and our cyber crime wing and crime branch tracked her down,” said Joint CP (Crime), Ahmedabad, Sharad Singhal.
Investigators had been chasing a blind trail for months, with emails routed through layers of encryption and anonymous servers. But once her IP address was exposed, the cybercrime unit traced it back to her residence in Chennai.
“That one careless login gave her away,” a senior officer told TOI.
Joshilda is currently in custody, and further investigations are underway to determine the full extent of her actions and any potential accomplices.
Experts share likely cause of Air India crash
Legit.ng earlier reported that an investigation has begun into the cause of the ill-fated Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad, and this could take months or even years to identify due to the complex nature.
As usual, aviation experts have shared their views on what they believe could have gone wrong.
One of them is Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University, who told the Independent UK that he suspects a mechanical issue.
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Source: Legit.ng
