Chennai techie sent bomb threats across India to sabotage ex-colleague’s marriage

In a chilling case that exposes how personal obsession, cyberstalking and technical expertise can dangerously converge, the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch has arrested a senior IT consultant from Chennai for allegedly sending bomb threat emails across 11 Indian states — all in a twisted attempt to ruin the married life of her former colleague and one-sided love interest.

The accused, Rene Joshilda, an electrical engineer by training and a senior consultant at Deloitte USI’s Chennai office since 2022, is said to have orchestrated a long, complex and emotionally-driven cyber campaign against Divij Prabhakar, who worked at Deloitte’s Bengaluru office.

A workplace acquaintance that turned into obsession

According to investigators, Joshilda first came into contact with Divij during virtual company meetings, and later met him in person at a corporate meetup in Bengaluru in 2022. What began as professional acquaintance soon turned into a one-sided emotional fixation. Joshilda developed feelings for Divij and, over time, began stalking him both online and offline.

In 2023, when another female employee grew close to Divij and the two began dating, Joshilda allegedly became envious and retaliated by creating fake email and social media accounts, using virtual numbers to send defamatory messages targeting the woman to several Deloitte colleagues. The harassment reportedly became so relentless that the female employee eventually resigned from the company.

Deepfake emails, doctored images, and false victimhood

In 2024, Joshilda escalated her campaign further. She doctored photographs of herself with Divij, claiming the two were married, and circulated them via email to mutual colleagues — including herself — in an attempt to present herself as a victim. When confronted by Divij, she falsely implicated a colleague named Murgesh, a friend of the female employee, as the mastermind behind the emails. Divij subsequently lodged a complaint with the Chennai Cyber Cell, during which Joshilda continued to pose as a victim and even gave a formal statement to the police.

When obsession turned into vengeance

The tipping point came in early 2025, when Joshilda learned that Divij was getting married on February 10. She called him, extended her congratulations and wished him well — but behind the scenes, she was allegedly plotting to sabotage his marriage and tarnish his image.

Between February and June 2025, Joshilda reportedly sent multiple bomb threat emails under the alias 'Divij Prabhakara', targeting schools, hospitals, and stadiums across 11 states, including Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.

One such email, sent to Geneva Liberal School in Sarkhej, read: “Police is sleeping. They cannot do anything. Only if children die, police will become active. We are going to blast the bomb in your school to bring attention to a rape victim’s case.”

Another email made false and disturbing claims involving rape, dowry harassment, and threats of mass violence. All the messages followed a similar pattern, criticising law enforcement while attempting to appear as social justice-driven.

A web of deception and digital manipulation

Joshilda reportedly used over 80 virtual mobile numbers, dozens of fake email IDs, and VPNs — including Proton VPN’s 'Tor over VPN' feature — to disguise her location and identity. This enabled her to access the dark web and send emails from hidden networks, making detection more difficult.

However, during the technical analysis, cyber investigators were able to trace a single slip-up in her VPN usage that led them to her residential IP address in Chennai. Payments made to Proton VPN and other anonymising tools were also traced back to her financial accounts, providing concrete evidence of her involvement.

“We found that the accused was extremely confident she wouldn’t get caught. She even walked casually into police stations and gave statements as a supposed victim. But there was one minor technical oversight — a digital fingerprint — that ultimately led us to her,” said senior police officials of Ahmedabad Cyber Cell.

Investigators confirmed that Joshilda sent over 21 bomb threat emails to Ahmedabad alone, targeting institutions such as Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, Divya Jyot School in Bopal, and B J Medical College in Asarwa.

She is currently in police custody and is being interrogated. The case has shocked law enforcement agencies across multiple states, highlighting the growing threat posed by cybercrime fuelled by personal obsession. Further investigation is underway to identify any additional victims or accomplices.