Indian-origin woman shot dead in California after months of stalking

What happened

Shalini Thakur, a 38-year-old waitress, was chased and shot dead in broad daylight outside a Sacramento restaurant on Tuesday by a stalker who had spent months tracking her movements.

Her killer, 22-year-old Rohit, fled the scene outside the Panera Bread on Howe Avenue but was quickly cornered by police on Highway 50. During the ensuing standoff, which brought freeway traffic to a complete standstill, Rohit turned his gun on himself and died of a self-inflicted wound in his car. Deputies did not fire their weapons, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.

How the stalking escalated

The killing followed nearly a year of increasingly invasive harassment. Thakur first met Rohit through his work as a DoorDash delivery driver making pickups at her workplace.

According to court documents, the harassment began around September 2025. By January, Thakur had discovered an Apple AirTag tracking device hidden under her car. Investigators said Rohit's behaviour grew increasingly obsessive: he deflated her tyres, followed her to work, and threatened to shoot himself or anyone she socialised with. On one occasion, he made a copy of her apartment key and let himself in while she was sleeping, later claiming to her that he was checking on her safety.

A system accused of failing

Thakur's mother, Sudesh Kumari, said her daughter lived in constant terror. "Police did not protect my daughter," Kumari told local broadcaster KCRA 3. "She could have been saved. She told police so many times. She called them, but nobody did anything."

Though local sheriff's deputies had encouraged Thakur to seek a restraining order, which was served to Rohit on 19 May, the legal shield proved useless. Rohit allegedly violated the order on 29 July by leaving groceries on her doorstep. Deputies attempted to contact him twice after that incident, but he remained free.

On the afternoon of the shooting, Thakur spoke to her mother by phone at 1:58 pm, promising to call back in 15 minutes. She never did. Around 3:00 pm, Rohit confronted her outside the restaurant. As she tried to run, he chased her through the car park and shot her multiple times, firing a final shot at close range after she fell.

The political fallout

The tragedy has triggered a political dispute over US border policies. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Rohit was an Indian national who entered the country illegally through Arizona in August 2023. He was detained by Border Patrol but subsequently released into the US interior pending a federal court hearing.

Federal officials criticized the Biden administration for his release, while local authorities pointed out that California's sanctuary laws limit how much local police can cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. However, a spokesperson for California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office rejected attempts to link the killing to sanctuary policies, stating that the tragedy instead highlighted the urgent need to address domestic violence, stalking, and the enforcement of protective orders.