Sacramento County deputies had probable cause to arrest an undocumented immigrant accused of killing a waitress but were unable to locate him, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Rohit Rohit, 22, a citizen of India, is accused of executing 38-year-old Shalini Thakur on Tuesday outside a Panera Bread in Sacramento.
Deputies and detectives made at least two attempts to find Rohit after Thakur reported that he had violated a restraining order she obtained against him on May 29. The violation reportedly occurred on July 29 when Thakur believed Rohit had ordered or delivered groceries to her. Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lt. Amar Gandhi told KCRA that if deputies had made contact with Rohit, an arrest would have been certain, but no contact was made.
Deputies also attempted to locate Rohit at places he was known to frequent. Gandhi acknowledged that investigators did not initiate a "large-scale manhunt" for the suspect at the time, stating that while follow-up actions were taken, "there’s not going to be a massive, large-scale manhunt for this person."
Rohit met Thakur in 2025 while she worked as a waitress at IHOP and he delivered DoorDash orders. Court documents and the sheriff’s office indicate his behavior became increasingly disturbing throughout the year. He allegedly threatened to kill Thakur and himself on multiple occasions, placed an Apple AirTag tracking device on her car, made a copy of her house key without permission, and frequented her workplace daily. He also once slashed her tires and then followed her when she pulled over, offering to change them.
Gandhi stated that the Sheriff’s Office could not have done more to prevent the tragedy, citing that detectives handle numerous similar cases daily and consistently follow up. He described the restraining order violation as a lower-level misdemeanor. Even if Rohit had been arrested, he might have been cited or booked before prosecutors and a judge could determine further action. The matter was not classified as domestic violence because the pair were reportedly friends, not romantically involved.
California’s sanctuary state laws also reportedly limited the Sheriff’s Office’s ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Gandhi described the situation as a reflection of an "imperfect justice system."
Department of Homeland Security officials had arrested Rohit in August 2023 after he crossed into the U.S. at the Arizona border. He was released on an "order of recognizance" a month later during the Biden administration and remained in the country illegally, according to DHS.
With both Thakur and Rohit deceased, Thakur’s mother, Sudesh Kumari, expressed grief and a lack of justice, telling reporters, "I am alone in this world. Restraining order after restraining order… police did not protect my daughter."
Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper previously stated that law enforcement’s swift response prevented Rohit from harming others, suggesting he "was headed somewhere else to do someone else harm."