California: A 38-year-old woman of Indian origin was shot dead in broad daylight outside a Sacramento restaurant by a 22-year-old man from India who had allegedly stalked and harassed her for months, US authorities said.
The suspect, identified as Rohit, fled the scene but was tracked down minutes later on Highway 50, where he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during a police standoff, officials said.
The attack unfolded on Tuesday, September 8, at a shopping plaza in the Arden-Arcade area, near a Panera Bread outlet on Howe Avenue, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Rohit, described as an undocumented immigrant from India, approached Shalini Thakur at her car. When she tried to flee, he chased her, pulled out a gun and shot her multiple times. After she fell, he fired again at close range into her head before speeding off in his vehicle, the department said.
AirTag, Copied Key, Home Intrusion
Investigators and family accounts indicate the harassment began at least by January, after Thakur found an Apple AirTag hidden under the hood of her car, raising fears she was being tracked, as reported by India Today.
Police said Rohit also deflated her car tyres and followed her to work, sometimes offering help after creating trouble. He is alleged to have obtained a copy of her apartment key and entered her home while she slept, though investigators did not know how he acquired the key, the sheriff’s office said.
Suspect Found Dead On Freeway
Deputies trace Rohit’s vehicle to eastbound Highway 50 near Watt Avenue, where he stopped on the freeway, prompting a standoff. Officers later found him slumped in the driver’s seat with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office confirmed.
A DHS spokesperson said Rohit had entered the United States through Arizona in 2023, was arrested by Border Patrol and later released; the precise details of his immigration status were not immediately clear.
