A 38-year-old Indian-origin woman was shot dead outside a restaurant at a shopping centre in Sacramento, California, allegedly by a 22-year-old Indian national who had been stalking and harassing her for months, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
The incident took place on September 8 when the man, identified as Rohit, approached Shalini Thakur near her car. When she tried to flee, he allegedly chased her, pulled out a gun and shot her multiple times, the DHS said on Friday.
He then allegedly shot Thakur in the head at close range after she had fallen to the ground before fleeing the scene in his vehicle.
Authorities later tried to stop the vehicle and call the driver out before discovering that he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office was quoted as saying by Fox40.com.
DHS said Rohit was an undocumented immigrant from India who entered the US through Arizona in 2023. A DHS spokesperson said he was arrested by US Border Patrol and released by the Biden administration.
The exact details of his immigration status were not immediately clear.
Investigators found that Rohit had allegedly been stalking Thakur since at least January. She had earlier discovered an Apple AirTag under the hood of her car, while he allegedly deflated her car tyres and followed her to work, offering to help her.
According to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, Rohit had also obtained a copy of Thakur's apartment key and entered her home while she was asleep.
(With inputs from PTI)