California (TIP) 16th March: Randhir Kaur, 37, an Indian woman studying dentistry at a California college was found shot dead in her apartment just hours after attending prayer services at a Sikh temple, (Gurdawara Shaib in El Sobrante) said authorities in Albany, Calif.

Kaur was shot in the head and was found in her apartment by family members in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Authorities say that’s when she was shot — but why and by whom remains unknown and that they are examining all possibilities. 

There was no sign of forced entry, but personal items belonging to Kaur, stolen from her apartment, were found tossed in the trash some two miles away in Richmond. 

The temple Kaur attends was the scene of a fatal shooting in 2000, when a man armed with an AR-15 killed a founding member of the congregation inside the ornate building because he was upset he was not allowed to address the congregation, according to a Chronicle story at the time.

The dental school described Kaur as “a beloved friend, student and colleague.”

Criminalists from the Alameda County sheriff’s crime laboratory have been called to assist in the investigation, which police said is a standard practice for any homicide in the city.

Two additional investigators have been assigned to the case, bringing the total number of full-time investigators to six, along with several part-time personnel.

Police are asking for the public’s help, particularly those who live on or frequent Kains Avenue in Albany or Panama Avenue in Richmond, in providing any information about suspicious people or activities on Monday or March 8 in those areas.

Anyone with information is asked to call Albany police investigators at (510) 525-7300.

A candlelight vigil is planned on campus for 5 p.m. today.