Mumbai: The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is likely to seek custody of a 47-year-old man arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly sending hoax bomb threat emails to courts and institutions, as investigators probe his possible link to similar threats received in Mumbai.
Shrinivas Luis apprehended from Vrindavan Layout residence in Mysuru
The accused, identified as Shrinivas Luis, was arrested from Mysuru in Karnataka following a two-week-long operation by Delhi Police’s Cyber unit. He was apprehended from his residence in Vrindavan Layout after technical surveillance traced his location.
Sources in Mumbai Police said that emails threatening the High Court, schools, and government establishments in the city had also been reported earlier, and Luis’s possible involvement in those cases is now under investigation.
Luis is a law school dropout, unemployed, frustrated over academic failure
According to Delhi Police sources, Luis is a law school dropout who failed to clear his final year and is currently unemployed. Investigators suspect frustration over his academic failure and lack of employment may have driven him to send the hoax threats, allegedly with the intent to disrupt court proceedings.
“He sent multiple emails to the Delhi High Court and several district courts over the past few months. Some emails were also sent to courts outside India, including in Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan,” a source said.
Lives with retired teacher mother
Police said Luis lived with his mother, a retired government school teacher. His mobile phones, laptop, and other electronic devices have been seized for forensic analysis. Officials are also verifying whether he was behind similar emails sent to schools in the national capital.
Investigators estimate that Luis may have sent nearly 1,500 emails to various institutions, the majority targeting courts across the country.
Police seek custody to determine full extent of threats and motive
A senior officer confirmed that police will seek his custody for further interrogation to determine the full extent of the threats and his motive. The case could help crack multiple hoax bomb threat incidents where the sender used VPN services to conceal identity.
Delhi has witnessed over 50 such incidents in the past two years, targeting more than 500 schools and government institutions. In one such case last September, the Delhi High Court received a bomb threat email claiming explosives had been planted on the premises, which later turned out to be a hoax.
The breakthrough came after a two-week trail by the cyber police team, which tracked a mobile number linked to the emails to Karnataka. Although the number was no longer active, sustained technical surveillance and coordination with local police helped trace Luis to his Mysuru residence, leading to his arrest.
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