Chennai: A software engineer from Tamil Nadu has been arrested for allegedly sending fake bomb threats to locations across the country. As many as 32 of them were made against several locations in Mumbai.
The bomb threats resulted in security alerts and disruptions in normal functioning. The threats were allegedly sent by email from the US.
Sharath Subramanian Shankar was arrested by the Tamil Nadu police after he landed at the Chennai International Airport on Tuesday. He was returning from the US.
A native of Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu, was employed by a software company based in Texas. He has now been taken into custody by the Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
It is likely that the Mumbai Crime Branch will also seek his custody as he is allegedly wanted in connection with around 32 fake bomb threat email cases registered in the city between 2024 and 2026, as reported by TimesNow.in.
The emails targeted the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, schools, government offices, courts and other important institutions, triggering repeated evacuations, security checks and emergency responses, officials said.
Shankar allegedly used Outlook and Hotmail accounts to send threatening emails while staying in the US. To conceal his identity, he is believed to have routed the emails through Tor networks, encrypted services, VPNs and foreign servers, making it difficult for Indian agencies to trace the source. Similar techniques have been commonly used in several hoax bomb threat cases across the country, investigators said.
The accused was motivated by a personal dispute with the Tamil Nadu government it is suspected and allegedly used the bomb threats to create panic and disruption. Investigators are, however, continuing to examine whether there were any additional motives or associates involved.
According to authorities, Shankar may have never been traced had he not made a vital mistake. He inadvertently replied to one of the threat emails using his personal email account, exposing a digital trail that enabled cyber investigators to identify him despite the sophisticated anonymity tools being used.
The Tamil Nadu Police reportedly followed up the lead and kept him under surveillance for nearly six months and issued a Look Out Circular (LOC). He was arrested immediately upon landing in Chennai.
Shankar is likely to be questioned extensively regarding the Mumbai cases and other hoax bomb threat emails sent to institutions across India. The accused may be linked to a far larger network of hoax threats, investigators suspect, with some reports suggesting over 1,500 such emails having being sent nationwide between 2023 and 2025.
