Bengaluru: In a major breakthrough in a multi-state cybercrime investigation, Bengaluru Police have arrested a woman software engineer already in custody in Gujarat for allegedly sending hoax bomb threat emails to several schools in the city.

The accused, identified as Rene Joshilda, was apprehended by the North Division Cyber Crime Police after investigators linked her to a series of threatening emails sent to six or seven schools in Bengaluru last month. The arrest follows earlier probes in Chennai, which revealed that Joshilda’s activities extended far beyond Karnataka.

According to police sources, Joshilda had also issued similar threats to schools and public venues in Chennai, Hyderabad, and Gujarat, including a chilling hoax email targeting the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The investigation was launched after a public school in Bengaluru received a bomb threat on the night of June 14. The school’s principal immediately lodged a complaint with the police, who registered a case and began their inquiry.

Officials said Joshilda was initially arrested in June by Ahmedabad Police in connection with similar offences. However, subsequent investigations by Karnataka Police uncovered her involvement in the bomb threat emails sent to Bengaluru schools. She has now been brought to Bengaluru on a body warrant to face questioning in at least seven cases registered against her in the city.

In her threatening messages, Joshilda allegedly warned recipients that she would “blow up your schools like the Gujarat plane crash,” intensifying fears among parents and staff.

A special investigation team, formed under Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, found that Joshilda employed sophisticated cyber techniques to conceal her identity. She reportedly used a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to mask her location and accessed multiple virtual mobile numbers through an application called Gate Code to create fake accounts. Investigators also discovered that she managed six to seven WhatsApp accounts as part of her operations.

Police sources suggest that the motive behind the threats stemmed from unrequited love. Joshilda is said to have orchestrated the campaign of threats in an attempt to frame a man who had rejected her romantic advances.

Joshilda was brought to Bengaluru on a body warrant on October 28. During interrogation, she allegedly admitted to sending hoax bomb emails not only to schools in Bengaluru, but also to institutions in Mysuru, Chennai, and Gujarat. Following extensive questioning, she was returned to Ahmedabad Central Jail on October 31, where she remains in custody.

Multiple cases have been filed against her across the country. The ongoing investigation, led by a team under the supervision of Joint Commissioner of Police (West Division) Vamshi Krishna and DCP (North Division) Nemagouda, is continuing to interrogate the accused and trace her digital footprint across states.