Gujarat woman arrested for bomb hoax that shut down several Bengaluru schools

According to police, the accused tried to frame a man in a criminal case for rejecting her love advances.

A 30-year-old woman from Gujarat was arrested for allegedly sending bomb threat emails to multiple schools in the city, creating widespread panic among parents, students, and staff, police said, adding that she was motivated by personal revenge.

The woman from Gujarat was arrested for allegedly sending bomb threat emails to multiple schools in the city.

According to police, the accused, a software engineer, identified as Rene Joshida, tried to frame a man in a criminal case for rejecting her love advances. Joshida sent bomb threat emails to seven Bengaluru schools, hoping digital traces would lead back to the man.

Rene, police said, used virtual private networks (VPNs) to conceal her location and relied on a mobile application called “Gate Code” to generate fake numbers for creating multiple online accounts.

Investigations further revealed she had opened seven WhatsApp accounts under different names to maintain her anonymity and carry out her plan.

What did the police search reveal?

Following the threat emails, police conducted extensive searches on campuses, but no explosives were found. However, the schools were temporarily closed.

Officials also confirmed that the accused had previously been arrested by Chennai Police in connection with a similar bomb threat incident. She is reportedly facing criminal cases in other states, including Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.

“The investigation began soon after the email alerts were reported,” said North DCP Babasaheb Nemagoud.

“We traced the digital footprints using advanced forensic tools. Despite her use of VPN and virtual IDs, our team was able to identify her through her digital trail and IP inconsistencies. She was taken for three days police custody and produced before Gujarat court on October 31 and currently under judicial custody,” he said.

Police said further probe is underway to determine if the accused is linked to other similar crimes previously reported in Karnataka.