New Delhi | An ex-assistant professor now behind bars for allegedly making over 1,100 hoax bomb threats was reportedly furious with the legal justice system.
Srinivas Louis, 47, is presumed to be tech-savvy and employed multiple methods to conceal his IP address, making it difficult for agencies to trace the origin of the threatening e-mails, a senior police officer said.
Louis was apprehended on Saturday from his rented accommodation in Karnataka's Mysuru, after a series of coordinated investigations into bomb threat e-mails sent to schools, courts and government offices.
The accused used to frequently change his name and residential address to evade police detection, the probe revealed.
Multiple states are now contacting the Delhi Police for his transit remand to interrogate Louis, the officer said.
A police source said that the accused would send threatening e-mails in quick succession, often targeting multiple institutions in a single day, and then shift his residence and assume a different identity to avoid being tracked or detained.
"The investigation revealed that he primarily used mobile devices to send e-mails in English and Kannada, targeting institutions such as high courts, police establishments and educational institutions across various states," the source said.
He said Louis is a postgraduate and has qualified for the National Eligibility Test (NET). He had previously worked as an assistant professor but was currently unemployed and living with his mother, a retired government employee in Mysuru.
During sustained interrogation, the accused disclosed that he harboured resentment towards the judicial system due to a family land dispute in which his father allegedly did not receive a share.
"This dissatisfaction with court proceedings is suspected to have driven him to repeatedly target judicial institutions with hoax threats," the source added.
Police said he not only sent e-mails within India but also targeted some cities in Pakistan, indicating the wide geographical spread of his activities.
Authorities are now working to link multiple FIRs registered in different states in connection with the threatening messages to the accused.
The accused is currently in police custody, and his mobile phone and other electronic devices have been sent for forensic examination, police said, adding that he will be taken to Mysuru to recover additional digital evidence and devices allegedly used in the commission of the offences.
"Further disclosures are expected following the forensic analysis, which may shed more light on the full extent of his activities and the techniques used to mask his digital footprint.
