Indian-origin woman, 38, chased, shot dead by stalker outside California restaurant

A 38-year-old Indian-origin woman was chased and shot dead outside a restaurant in Sacramento, California, on Tuesday by a 22-year-old man who had allegedly stalked and harassed her for nearly a year, despite a restraining order against him.

Shalini Thakur was attacked in broad daylight outside a Panera Bread restaurant in the city’s Arden-Arcade area. The accused, Rohit, fled the scene but was tracked down by police minutes later on Highway 50, where he shot himself during a standoff with deputies.

According to authorities, Rohit was an undocumented immigrant who had previously been detained in Arizona. He had met Thakur through DoorDash pickups at her workplace, where she worked as a waitress.

During the attack, Thakur tried to flee, but Rohit chased her and shot her multiple times in front of several witnesses, authorities said. After she fell, he fired another shot at her head at close range.

Officers responding to reports of the shooting around 3 pm found Shalini unresponsive outside a Panera Bread restaurant in the 800 block of Howe Avenue. Medics pronounced her dead at the scene.

Witnesses provided cops with a description of the suspect’s vehicle, which was entered into the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office’s automated licence plate reader system.

According to Lt Amar Gandhi, the vehicle’s last known location was soon obtained. The car was located minutes later on eastbound Highway 50.

When officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, Rohit slammed on the brakes and stopped on the highway, Gandhi said. The California Highway Patrol subsequently closed all eastbound lanes because of police activity.

KCRA Channel 3 footage showed the suspect’s vehicle surrounded by sheriff’s vehicles, including an armoured tactical vehicle, with cops holding their weapons drawn. They eventually broke the driver-side window and sent a drone into the vehicle before approaching the car.

The suspect was found slumped over in the driver’s seat with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities later confirmed that Rohit had died from the wound. It did not appear that deputies had fired their weapons, KCRA reported.

MONTHS OF STALKING, RESTRAINING ORDER

Sudesh Kumari, Shalini's mother, said that Rohit had been stalking and harassing the 38-year-old for nearly a year. She said Rohit wanted to marry her daughter, but she turned him down because of their age difference.

"She was so scared of him," a distraught Sudesh told KCRA 3.

Kumari has recalled her final conversation with her only child, who was fatally shot outside a Panera Bread in Sacramento. Speaking to KCRA 3, Kumari said she was left devastated and questioned whether more could have been done to protect her daughter.

The two spoke by phone at 1:58 pm, nearly an hour before the shooting.

Thakur told her mother she would call back within 15 minutes, but never did. Kumari, whose husband died two years ago, showed a series of unanswered calls and WhatsApp messages, including “Please call me” and “I am worried about you.”

According to The Sacramento Bee, court documents show the stalking began around September 2025 and progressively became more frequent and severe.

Shalini reportedly knew Rohit through DoorDash pickups from her workplace. She later obtained a restraining order after his behaviour escalated, including waiting outside her home for hours, deflating her vehicle’s tyres and placing an Apple AirTag under her car to track her movements.

The restraining-order documents also say Rohit pressured Shalini to marry him and attempted to control whom she could socialise with. On one occasion, he made a copy of her flat's key and entered while she was sleeping.

Sheriff’s officials had expressed concern over Rohit’s behaviour and encouraged Thakur to seek a restraining order. He was served with the order on May 19, but investigators said he later violated it.

In late July, he left grocery items outside Thakur’s home, despite the order.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the shooting, the circumstances surrounding the stalking and the suspect’s death on Highway 50.