THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For years, a US-based techie allegedly used artificial intelligence to send hoax bomb threats to some of Kerala’s most prominent institutions, from the state capital’s airport and the chief minister’s official residence to courts, hotels and temples. He would then track the impact of the threats through local news reports, police said.Sharath Subramanyam, a Tamil Nadu native who worked in the information technology sector for 12 years and was involved in artificial intelligence research, was arrested by city cybercrime police on Saturday in connection with more than 200 alleged hoax bomb threats sent to establishments across Keralam since 2023.Sharath had been arrested by Tamil Nadu police in July 2026 when he arrived at Chennai airport, in connection with allegations that he had sent more than 1,500 hoax bomb threats across India. A team from Thiruvananthapuram cybercrime police brought him to the state capital on a production warrant, city police commissioner Arul R B Krishna said.Airport, CM’s residence, courts among targetsWithin Thiruvananthapuram city limits alone, Sharath allegedly sent around 40 fake bomb threat emails targeting key government institutions and public establishments. These included the airport, Cliff House — the chief minister’s official residence — Lok Bhavan, the governor’s residence, the Secretariat, the district court, the collectorate and five-star hotels.He also allegedly sent an email claiming that explosives, including RDX, had been planted at the German consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, triggering security concerns. The repeated threats disrupted the functioning of public institutions, with court proceedings affected after threat messages were sent to court complexes, including the district court, on six occasions.Police said Sharath allegedly used AI to send the threats and monitored their impact through local news coverage.Bomb scare at collectorate led to evacuationOne of the incidents occurred on March 18, 2025, when a threat claiming that explosives had been planted at the Thiruvananthapuram district collectorate prompted officials to evacuate the building.During a subsequent inspection by the bomb squad, a disturbed beehive resulted in several people, including senior officials, being stung. Many of those affected had to seek treatment at Peroorkada district model hospital and Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital.The alleged threats also extended to religious institutions. Sharath allegedly targeted the websites of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple and Attukal Bhagavathy Temple to obtain their email IDs and send bomb threats, disrupting devotees’ access to the shrines.The state police chief and the transport commissionerate were also among the alleged targets, police said.
