US-based techie, man behind over 1,000 hoax bomb threat emails, held at Chennai airport

CHENNAI: A US-based software engineer, who was the alleged mastermind behind a relentless campaign of panic by sending more than 1,000 bomb threat emails to educational institutions, government offices, airports, politicians and celebrities between 2023 and 2025, was arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Tamil Nadu police on Wednesday morning.

The suspect, Sarath Subramanian of Ambasamudram in Tirunelveli, was working as a software engineer in Austin, Texas. He was detained by the immigration authorities on his arrival at the Chennai airport and was handed over to a Tamil Nadu police team.

The police had issued a look-out circular against the techie after he was suspected to be behind hundreds of hoax bomb threats sent in the last two years to airline offices, airports, schools, colleges and other places of public gathering, sending the police on a wild chase.

According to the Chennai police, over 300 hoax threats were issued in areas in city police jurisdiction alone in 2025. Most of them were sent through Tor browser or through VPN, which masks the sender’s IP address.The suspect, Sarath Subramanian of Ambasamudram in Tirunelveli, was working as a software engineer in Austin, Texas. He was detained by the immigration authorities on his arrival at the Chennai airport and was handed over to a Tamil Nadu police team.

The police had issued a look-out circular against the techie after he was suspected to be behind hundreds of hoax bomb threats sent in the last two years to airline offices, airports, schools, colleges and other places of public gathering, sending the police on a wild chase.

According to the Chennai police, over 300 hoax threats were issued in areas in city police jurisdiction alone in 2025. Most of them were sent through Tor browser or through VPN, which masks the sender’s IP address.

The breakthrough came during an investigation led by the State Cybercrime Wing headquarters. Investigators traced the suspect after he inadvertently replied to one of the threat emails using his personal email account.

After confirming his identity, investigators monitored his activities for nearly six months. A look-out circular was subsequently issued at airports across the country, leading to his detention upon his arrival in Chennai.

Various police units in the State, including the Greater Chennai Police, Anti-Terrorism Squad, and other units have registered cases against the suspect. He was taken into custody and further investigation is under way to find if he acted alone or whether he had associates.

It may be noted that, in 2025, the Gujarat Police arrested a Chennai-based techie, Rene Joshilda, who sent multiple bomb threats to educational institutions in the name of her estranged boyfriend. She was subsequently arrested by the Bengaluru police, too, for a similar offence.