Stalker Chases And Shoots Indian Origin Woman, Later Shoots Himself Outside California Restaurant

Following months of harassment and stalking by a 22-year-old male who subsequently committed suicide during a police stop on a busy highway, a 38-year-old Indian-origin woman was chased and shot dead outside a restaurant in Sacramento, California, on Tuesday.

According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect, named as Rohit, approached and chased the victim, Shalini Thakur, while she was being dropped off at work at a retail center in the Arden Arcade neighborhood of Sacramento. Authorities said Rohit was an unauthorized immigrant, had been arrested in Arizona before.

Authorities alleged that as Shalini attempted to escape, Rohit pursued her and repeatedly shot her in front of many witnesses. He fired another close-range shot at her head after she fell.

Shalini was unconscious outside a Panera Bread restaurant in the 800 block of Howe Avenue when police arrived in response to reports of the gunshot at approximately 3 p.m. Medical personnel declared her dead on site.

Police received a description of the suspect’s car from witnesses, which was input into the automated license plate reader system of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

The last known location of the car was quickly discovered, according to Lt. Amar Gandhi. A few minutes later, the vehicle was found traveling east on Highway 50.

According to Gandhi, Rohit slammed on the brakes and came to a stop on the highway as police tried to pull the car over. Due to police action, the California Highway Patrol later stopped all eastbound lanes.

With what looked to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the suspect was discovered hunched over in the driver’s seat. Rohit’s death from the wound was later confirmed by the authorities. According to KCRA, it didn’t seem like any deputies had discharged their weapons.

Shalini’s mother, Sudesh Kumari, said that Rohit had been harassing and following the 38-year-old for almost a year. She said that due of their age gap, she rejected Rohit’s proposal to wed her daughter. “She was so scared of him,” an distraught Sudesh told KCRA 3.

Kumari has remembered her last words to her only child, who was shot and killed outside a Panera Bread in Sacramento. In an interview with KCRA 3, Kumari expressed her devastation and wondered whether more could have been done to keep her daughter safe. At 1:58 pm, almost an hour before the shooting, the two had a phone conversation.

Thakur promised her mother that she would return the call in fifteen minutes, but she never did. “Please call me” and “I am worried about you” were among the unanswered calls and WhatsApp messages displayed by Kumari, whose husband passed away two years ago.

The Sacramento Bee reports that court records indicate the stalking started in September 2025 and gradually increased in frequency and severity.

According to reports, Shalini got to know Rohit through DoorDash pickups at work. After his actions worsened, including standing outside her house for hours, inflating her car’s tires, and putting an Apple AirTag underneath it to monitor her whereabouts, she later sought a restraining order.

According to the restraining-order filings, Rohit tried to restrict Shalini’s social circle and put pressure on her to wed him. He once copied the key to her apartment and broke in while she was asleep.

Concerned about Rohit’s actions, sheriff’s officers advised Thakur to request a restraining order. The order was served to him on May 19, but investigators claimed he later broke it.

Despite the directive, he left groceries outside Thakur’s house in late July.

The gunshot, the circumstances surrounding the stalking, and the suspect’s death on Highway 50 are still being looked into by the authorities.

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