A 38-year-old Indian-origin woman was chased and shot dead outside a Sacramento restaurant after months of alleged stalking that included an AirTag hidden under her car, a copied house key and repeated restraining-order violations. Police said Shalini Thakur tried to flee before 22-year-old Rohit opened fire in public, then later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a highway standoff.
The Highway Standoff: Police drone sent into suspect’s car
His death was later confirmed. KCRA reported that there was no indication deputies had fired their weapons. The shooting took place outside a Panera Bread outlet in the Arden-Arcade area on Tuesday afternoon.
Medical workers pronounced her dead at the scene. After the shooting, witnesses gave investigators a description of Rohit’s vehicle. Police entered the details into an automated licence plate reader system and soon established its last known location. The California Highway Patrol closed the eastbound lanes as sheriff’s vehicles surrounded the car. Footage broadcast by KCRA showed an armoured tactical vehicle at the scene and deputies positioned with their weapons drawn. Officers eventually broke the driver’s side window and sent a drone inside before approaching the vehicle. The call never came. Her husband died two years ago, and Thakur was her only child.
Deputies responding to reports of gunfire at around 3 pm found Thakur unresponsive outside the restaurant in the 800 block of Howe Avenue. Her death came after months of complaints about alleged stalking and harassment, according to court documents and accounts provided by police to local broadcaster KCRA 3. Deputies found the car on eastbound Highway 50. Kumari spoke to Thakur at 1.58 pm on the day of the shooting. Her daughter told her she would call back in 15 minutes.
Thakur was being dropped off for work at a shopping plaza near Howe Avenue and Northrop Avenue when Rohit allegedly approached her, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said Thakur tried to run away, but Rohit chased her and fired several shots in front of witnesses. Police said another shot was fired at close range after she fell. Gandhi said Rohit would have been arrested if officers had found him. He also said an arrest would not necessarily have meant Rohit remained in custody or guaranteed that the later shooting could have been prevented. The Sheriff’s Office said detectives had remained in contact with Thakur for months and had encouraged her to seek legal protection. Gandhi described the justice system as an “imperfect justice system”. Gandhi said Rohit braked hard and stopped when officers attempted to pull him over. Rohit was found slumped in the driver’s seat with what authorities said appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Behind the police records and court filings is a mother who said she had spent months worrying about her daughter’s safety. “I am alone in this world,” Kumari told KCRA 3.
Thakur eventually obtained a civil harassment restraining order. But the alleged contact did not stop. She believed Rohit had ordered or delivered them despite the restraining order. Officers tried at least twice to find him at his home and other locations he was known to visit but were unable to locate him.
Because of their age difference, her mother, Sudesh Kumari, said Rohit wanted to marry Thakur but she rejected him. Court records showed Rohit was personally served with temporary restraining-order papers on May 19 and was told to stay away from Thakur, her home and her workplace. On July 29, Thakur contacted the Sheriff’s Office after groceries were left at her home.
Court records described a series of incidents that Thakur said left her frightened. They included: The documents also said he tried to control whom Thakur met and continued to pressure her to marry him. “She was so scared of him,” Kumari told KCRA 3. Lt Amar Gandhi said deputies took a report and detectives later concluded they had probable cause to arrest Rohit for violating the order.
The case had allegedly started as unwanted attention before becoming increasingly intrusive.
Thakur knew Rohit through DoorDash pickups from her workplace, where she worked as a waitress, according to local reports. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation into Thakur’s killing, the previous stalking allegations and Rohit’s death remains ongoing.
