Shalini Thakur had an active civil harassment restraining order against Rohit Rohit when authorities say he confronted her outside a Panera Bread.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A 38-year-old Sacramento woman who had documented months of alleged stalking was fatally shot Sept. 8 outside an Arden-Arcade shopping center by a man authorities say had repeatedly harassed her and was subject to an active restraining order.
Shalini Thakur was killed after 22-year-old Rohit Rohit approached her near her parked vehicle shortly before 3 p.m., according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said Thakur tried to get away before Rohit chased and shot her. He then fled the shopping center. Deputies located his vehicle minutes later on Highway 50, where he was eventually found dead from what authorities described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Detectives have continued investigating the circumstances immediately preceding the shooting.
Sheriff’s deputies responded near the Panera Bread on Howe Avenue after witnesses reported gunfire. Thakur was found at the scene and pronounced dead. Witnesses provided information about the fleeing vehicle, and deputies entered its description into the county’s Flock automated license plate reader system. Regional Transit deputies located the vehicle near Highway 50 and Howe Avenue shortly afterward, according to the Sheriff’s Office. When deputies attempted to stop it, the vehicle came to a halt on the freeway. Officers tried for some time to get the driver to come out before finding Rohit dead inside.
The killing followed months of behavior that investigators and Thakur herself had described as increasingly troubling. Sheriff’s officials said they learned Rohit had been harassing and stalking Thakur since at least January, when she discovered an Apple AirTag hidden under the hood of her vehicle. Court records later obtained by local news organizations indicated that Thakur believed the behavior had started even earlier. In a request for a civil harassment restraining order, she wrote that the stalking began around September 2025 and had “progressively escalated in frequency and severity.”
Investigators said one incident involved Rohit letting air out of a tire on Thakur’s vehicle and then following her to work so he could offer assistance. Authorities also said he obtained a copy of her apartment key and entered her home while she was sleeping. Rohit later claimed he went inside because she had not responded to him and he was concerned, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Thakur’s court filing also accused him of tampering with her vehicle and trying to control whom she could socialize with.
Thakur further alleged in her court filing that Rohit had pressured her to marry him and had threatened gun violence involving himself or other people if she refused. When she initially reported concerning behavior, she declined to pursue criminal charges or obtain a restraining order, sheriff’s officials said. Deputies and detectives remained in contact with her and continued encouraging her to seek court protection as the reported conduct continued. She eventually obtained a civil harassment restraining order in late May. Local news reports citing court records said the order was scheduled to remain in effect through May 2027.
Authorities documented another encounter July 29, when Thakur reported that Rohit had violated the restraining order by leaving grocery items outside her home. The Sheriff’s Office later confirmed to CBS News Sacramento that deputies had probable cause to arrest him in connection with the reported violation. A department spokesperson said investigators tried on multiple occasions to locate Rohit but were unsuccessful. The restraining order remained active at the time of Thakur’s death several weeks later.
Thakur’s connection to Rohit came through her workplace, according to her court filing and local reporting. She wrote that she knew him through his work picking up DoorDash orders from the restaurant where she worked. CBS News Sacramento reported that Thakur worked at an IHOP in the Arden area. That account differs from descriptions suggesting Rohit first encountered her while delivering food directly to her. Sheriff’s officials also said investigators had no information showing the two had been in a romantic relationship, which was why the matter had been handled through a civil harassment order rather than a domestic violence restraining order.
Thakur’s mother, Sudesh Kumari, who had traveled from India to stay with her daughter, told local reporters that she believed more should have been done to protect her. Thakur was her only child. Friends and relatives gathered in Sacramento for Thakur’s funeral Sept. 14, six days after the shooting. People who knew her described her as caring, outgoing and hardworking. Several also questioned how the repeated reports of harassment and the active court order had failed to prevent further contact.
The Sheriff’s Office said its homicide investigation remains open as detectives work to determine what happened immediately before the confrontation at the shopping center. Because Rohit also died, there will be no conventional criminal prosecution against him in connection with Thakur’s death. Investigators have continued seeking information from anyone with knowledge of the events surrounding the Sept. 8 shooting.
Author note: Last updated September 17, 2026.