The body of Randhir Kaur was discovered on March 8 by her cousin after UC San Francisco officials became concerned about her well-being.
SAN FRANCISCO – It was the gruesome discovery no loved one ever wants to come upon: a man found his cousin lying in a pool of her blood, dead in her Albany apartment.
Investigators say a 37-year-old dental student from India was shot to death at her San Francisco Bay Area apartment hours after attending services at a local Sikh temple.
The body of Randhir Kaur was discovered on March 8 by her cousin after UC San Francisco officials became concerned about her well-being.
Investigators seeking tips from the public said on Sunday that they believed Kaur was accosted and shot sometime after arriving home. She had spent the afternoon at a Sikh temple and had planned to spend that evening studying.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports there were no signs of forced entry. Her personal belongings were found inside a trash can about 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) from her apartment.
“I stopped by around five to pick up my son and there was police everywhere,” described Mutsubu Inayama, who lives across the street. “They were guarding the premises and clearly they were investigating for a really long time, hours and hours and hours.”
One neighbor who declined to be identified said she heard one gunshot Sunday around 9 p.m., a pause, and then another gunshot. At the time, she thought they were sounds of firecrackers.
Another neighbor, Deepak Sharma, said he knows the cousin who discovered Kaur.
“I know the family members, they’re very nice people. I’ve known them for the last ten years,” said Sharma. “They were so devastated, the family, because I heard also the brother was flying from India, as well. It was very devastating and our condolences as neighbors, as a community.”
Kaur was eight months into a two-year international dentist program at UCSF, which admits 24 foreign-trained dentists each year who study to become doctors of dental surgery.
“Happening to an Indian girl, they’re already facing so many problems in India,” said Sharma. “We come to the U.S. because it’s a safe place. This needs to go [out] as the message…nobody can get away from the law.”
He said it’s troubling in such a quiet neighborhood.
“The neighborhood is very good. It comes as a shock because my parents live here, I live here and they’re into their 70’s. We don’t want this to ever happen here,” said Sharma.
In a statement, UCSF called Kaur a “treasured member” of the school community.
“Our hearts go out to her family and friends at this very difficult time. Grief counseling support has been made available to all students, faculty and staff, and a memorial will be held to celebrate her life. We will miss her deeply.”
Scott Maier, a UCSF spokesman, said there is no set date for the memorial yet.
The coroner’s office performed an autopsy Wednesday and will soon release the exact cause of death. Albany police still have no persons of interest or any suspects in custody.
