Stalker kills Indian-origin woman, kills self in California

Washington, Sep 12 (PTI): A 38-year-old Indian-origin woman was shot dead outside a restaurant in California by a 22-year-old man from India who had allegedly stalked her for months, the US Department of Homeland Security sai.

Stalker kills Indian-origin woman, kills self in California

Washington, Sep 12 (PTI): A 38-year-old Indian-origin woman was shot dead outside a restaurant in California by a 22-year-old man from India who had allegedly stalked her for months, the US Department of Homeland Security said.

The incident took place on September 8 at a shopping centre in Sacramento and the stalker, identified as Rohit, shot himself dead in a stand-off with police.

Rohit, an undocumented immigrant from India, approached Shalini Thakur at the Arden Arcade shopping centre and shot her dead after a chase, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Friday.

After the shooting, witnesses provided investigators with information about Rohit’s vehicle which was located on eastbound Highway 50 near Watt Avenue.

When deputies attempted to pull Rohit over, he stopped on the freeway, leading to a police standoff that brought traffic to a standstill for hours.

Rohit was later found slumped over in the driver’s seat with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A spokesperson for DHS said Thakur's killer, Rohit, was from India and entered the United States through Arizona in 2023.

He was arrested by the US Border Patrol and released by the Biden administration, according to the spokesperson.

The exact details around his immigration status were not immediately clear as of Friday.

Further investigation determined that Rohit had been harassing and stalking Thakur since at least January, after she discovered an Apple AirTag under the hood of her car.

Rohit had also reportedly deflated the air in her car and followed her to work so he could offer her help, the report added.

He had also obtained a copy of her apartment key and entered her home as she slept, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said.

Sudesh Kumari, Thakur’s mother, told KCRA 3 that she had spoken with her daughter by phone about 2 pm Tuesday. Thakur told her mother she would call back in 15 minutes, but she never did. The conversation came about an hour before Thakur was killed.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Amar Gandhi, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, said that the two worked for different employers but were friends who had known each other for a couple of years, the Sacramento Bee reported on Friday.

In January, Rohit’s behaviour grew increasingly alarming.

"He, obviously, developed a real fixation on her,” Gandhi told reporters on Wednesday.

Thakur first reported the incidents to authorities in March, but she initially declined to pursue criminal charges or seek a restraining order, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s officials said deputies again urged Thakur in May to obtain a restraining order, which she did.

In her court petition for a restraining order, Thakur wrote that she knew Rohit as a DoorDash delivery driver and that he would park outside her home for hours and talk to her on a daily basis.

DoorDash said Friday that it was cooperating with the Sheriff’s Office investigation. “This is an unimaginable tragedy, and our hearts are with Thakur’s family and loved ones as they grieve this immense loss,” a DoorDash spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Sacramento Bee. PTI SKU AMS

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