A 38-year-old Indian-origin woman was shot dead outside a restaurant in Sacramento, California , on Tuesday after she was allegedly stalked and harassed for months by a 22-year-old man.
He was later confirmed dead. An AirTag was allegedly hidden under her car in January, while the harassment later escalated to deflating a vehicle tyre and following her to work, the Times of India reported. DHS said he had previously been arrested by US Border Patrol and released by the Biden administration.
The suspect, identified as Rohit, later died by suicide during a police standoff on a busy highway. She tried to flee, but he chased her and shot her multiple times in front of witnesses. He then allegedly fired another shot at her head at close range, the report further added. Medics pronounced her dead at the scene. Witnesses provided police with a description of the suspect’s vehicle, which was entered into the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office’s automated license plate reader system. Rohit was found slumped in the driver’s seat with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. It did not appear that deputies had fired at him. Rohit had allegedly stalked and harassed Thakur for months. He also obtained a copy of Thakur’s apartment key and entered her home while she was sleeping. Thakur initially declined to pursue criminal charges or seek a restraining order. However, officials later urged her to obtain one, which she did. Deputies attempted to contact him twice.
Police officers responding to the shooting at around 3 pm found Thakur unresponsive outside a Panera Bread outlet in the 800 block of Howe Avenue. Lieutenant Amar Gandhi said the vehicle’s last known location was obtained and officers found it minutes later on eastbound Highway 50. The order was served on Rohit on May 19. He allegedly violated the restraining order on July 29 by leaving random grocery items outside Thakur’s front door. The mother said she last spoke to her daughter at 1:58 pm on Tuesday, nearly an hour before the shooting. Thakur had told her she would call back in 15 minutes, but never did. The US Department of Homeland Security said Rohit was from India and had entered the United States through Arizona in 2023.
Because of the police activity, when officers attempted to stop the vehicle, Rohit slammed on the brakes and stopped, prompting the California Highway Patrol to close the eastbound lanes. Because he was concerned something had happened to her after she failed to answer him, when confronted, he allegedly claimed he had entered. Because of their age difference, thakur had rejected him.
Shalini Thakur was being dropped at her workplace at a shopping plaza in Sacramento’s Arden Arcade area when Rohit allegedly approached and confronted her, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Thakur’s mother, Sudesh Kumari, told India Today that Rohit had stalked and harassed her daughter for nearly a year and wanted to marry her.
Footage showed the vehicle surrounded by sheriff’s vehicles, including an armoured tactical vehicle, while officers approached with their weapons drawn. Police broke the driver-side window and deployed a drone before approaching the vehicle.
