Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
An Apple AirTag hidden under her car, tyres repeatedly tampered with, being followed to work and a stranger entering her home while she slept — these were among the warning signs that preceded the fatal shooting of 38-year-old Shalini Thakur in California.
Further investigation found that Rohit, 22, had been stalking and harassing Thakur since at least January, according to a KCRA 3 report.
advertisement
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said Rohit had obtained a copy of Thakur’s flat key and entered her home while she slept.
The findings have shed more light on the months of stalking and harassment that preceded Thakur’s death. She was chased and shot multiple times outside a Panera Bread restaurant in Sacramento’s Arden-Arcade area on Tuesday.
Rohit, 22, later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after deputies tracked his vehicle to Highway 50.
THAKUR HAD SOUGHT RESTRAINING ORDER
Thakur had previously reported Rohit’s behaviour to authorities and obtained a civil harassment restraining order against him in May.
Court records obtained by KCRA 3 showed that Thakur had accused Rohit of stalking her, tampering with her vehicle and secretly tracking her.
The order required Rohit to stay away from Thakur, her home and her workplace. A proof of service filed with the court showed that he was personally served with the temporary restraining-order documents on May 19.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said detectives had remained in contact with Thakur for months and encouraged her to seek legal protection.
However, authorities later acknowledged that Rohit was not arrested after a reported violation of the restraining order in July.
DEPUTIES HAD PROBABLE CAUSE TO ARREST ROHIT
According to Lt Amar Gandhi, Thakur contacted the Sheriff’s Office on July 29 after grocery items were delivered to her home, which she believed Rohit had ordered or delivered.
Deputies responded and took a report, while detectives followed up on the complaint. Gandhi told KCRA 3 that investigators believed Rohit was responsible and had probable cause to arrest him for violating the restraining order.
However, deputies and detectives were unable to locate him despite at least two attempts to find him at his home and other places he was known to visit.
Gandhi said that if deputies had located Rohit, he would have been arrested. However, he said an arrest could have resulted in him being cited or booked into jail but would not necessarily have meant he remained in custody or that the subsequent killing would have been prevented.
THAKUR WAS CHASED AND SHOT OUTSIDE THE RESTAURANT
Thakur was being dropped off at work at a shopping plaza near Howe Avenue and Northrop Avenue when Rohit allegedly approached and confronted her, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
She 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.
Deputies responding to reports of the shooting around 3 pm found Thakur unresponsive outside the Panera Bread restaurant in the 800 block of Howe Avenue. Medics pronounced her dead at the scene.
According to authorities, Rohit was an undocumented immigrant who had previously been detained in Arizona. He had reportedly met Thakur through DoorDash pickups at her workplace, where she worked as a waitress.
SUSPECT SHOOTS HIMSELF ON HIGHWAY 50
Witnesses provided police with a description of Rohit’s vehicle, which was entered into the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office’s automated licence plate reader system.
According to Gandhi, deputies soon obtained the vehicle’s last known location and located it minutes later on eastbound Highway 50.
When deputies 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 vehicle surrounded by sheriff’s vehicles, including an armoured tactical vehicle, with deputies holding their weapons drawn. Officers eventually broke the driver-side window and sent a drone into the vehicle before approaching.
Rohit was found slumped over in the driver’s seat with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities later confirmed that he had died from the wound. It did not appear that deputies had fired their weapons, KCRA reported.
MOTHER SAYS SYSTEM FAILED TO PROTECT DAUGHTER
Thakur’s mother, Kumari, told KCRA 3 that she believes the system failed to protect her daughter.
The two had spoken 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, said Thakur was her only child.
“I am alone in this world,” she told KCRA 3.
The Sheriff’s Office has defended its handling of the case, saying investigators remained in contact with Thakur for months and encouraged her to obtain a restraining order.
Gandhi said it was incorrect to suggest that nothing had been done, while acknowledging the limitations of what he described as an “imperfect justice system”.
The investigation into the shooting, the months of stalking and harassment, and Rohit’s death remains ongoing.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
