AirTag, home intrusion, copied key, restraining order: Stalker kills Indian woman in California

Dubai: An Indian-origin woman who had endured months of escalating stalking — including being secretly tracked with an Apple AirTag and finding the alleged stalker inside her home — was shot dead outside her workplace in California despite having obtained a restraining order against him.

Shalini Thakur, 38, was killed in broad daylight on Tuesday outside a Panera Bread restaurant in Sacramento’s Arden-Arcade area. Authorities said the suspected gunman, 22-year-old Rohit, chased her through a parking lot before shooting her multiple times.

He fled after the attack but was located by police on Highway 50. Following a standoff that shut down eastbound lanes, officers found him inside his vehicle with what authorities said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He later died.

But accounts emerging after Thakur’s death have focused attention on the months of warning signs that preceded the killing — and her family’s questions over whether more could have been done to save her.

Thakur’s mother, Sudesh Kumari, told local broadcaster KCRA 3 that Rohit had been harassing and stalking her daughter for months and wanted to marry her.

Thakur had rejected him, her mother said.

“She was so scared of him,” Kumari told the station.

The Sacramento Bee reported that Thakur’s family, friends and colleagues are now mourning a woman they remembered as caring and generous.

In an online fundraiser established to help with funeral and memorial expenses, Daljit Khangura, writing on behalf of the family, described Thakur as a selfless woman who was always willing to help others.

For Kumari, the loss is particularly devastating. Thakur was her only child, and Kumari’s husband died two years ago.

Her last conversation with her daughter came shortly before the killing.

Kumari said they spoke by phone at about 2pm. Thakur told her mother she would call again in 15 minutes.

The call never came.

Investigators say the harassment had been escalating for months.

According to The Sacramento Bee, sheriff’s homicide detectives said Thakur discovered an Apple AirTag hidden under the hood of her vehicle in January.

Authorities said Rohit had also deflated one of her tyres and then followed her to work so he could offer assistance.

In another alarming incident, he allegedly obtained a copy of the key to Thakur’s apartment and entered her home while she was asleep. Investigators said they did not know how he obtained the key.

Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Amar Gandhi described Rohit’s behaviour as having developed into a fixation.

Thakur first reported incidents to authorities in March but initially declined to pursue criminal charges or seek a restraining order, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies nevertheless remained concerned about her safety and continued to stay in contact with her.

In May, authorities again encouraged her to obtain a restraining order, which she did.

Court documents cited by local media said Rohit would spend hours parked outside her home and had tried to control whom she socialised with.

Thakur also reportedly told the court that he had threatened to shoot himself or anyone she met.

The restraining order did not end the unwanted contact.

On July 29, Thakur reported that Rohit had violated it by leaving grocery items outside her home. Deputies subsequently tried to contact him but were unsuccessful, according to authorities.

Weeks later came the fatal confrontation.

Sheriff’s officials said Rohit arrived by car shortly before 3pm at the shopping centre on Howe Avenue. Thakur arrived a short time later and was dropped off near her vehicle.

Authorities said Rohit then chased her across the parking lot and opened fire.

Officers responding to reports of gunfire found Thakur unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witness information helped investigators identify Rohit’s vehicle, which was quickly located on Highway 50.

When deputies attempted to stop him, he halted on the freeway, triggering a standoff and a major police response.

Officers eventually found him slumped inside the vehicle with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The case has also become part of a political debate over immigration enforcement.

The US Department of Homeland Security said Rohit was an Indian citizen who entered the United States through Arizona in August 2023 and was apprehended by US Border Patrol before being released into the country.

DHS criticised the previous Biden administration over his release.

However, reports said his precise immigration status remained unclear and that federal court records indicated his case was still pending. A Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the local agency did not have access to immigration-status information.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office rejected attempts to connect the killing to the state’s sanctuary policies, saying the case instead raised questions about stalking, domestic violence and protecting victims.

For Thakur’s family, however, the overriding question is much more personal: How a woman who had repeatedly reported frightening behaviour and eventually secured a court order still ended up being killed by the man she feared.

Kumari had travelled from India for what was meant to be an extended stay with her only daughter. Instead, she is now preparing for Shalini’s funeral and facing the journey home alone. Her husband died two years ago. Shalini, who would have turned 39 on September 19, also leaves behind two dogs whose future care relatives are trying to arrange.

Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting and the events that preceded it.