Santa Clara County Sheriff says Cupertino man accused of stalking underage girls had 'shrine'

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ByKatie Marzullo KGO logo
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Officials say Cupertino man accused of stalking underage girls had 'shrine'
Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith said that 35-year-old Rajeev Sanhi had "a lot of photographs" of young girls on his wall. Sanhi is accused of stalking four underage girls, but officials believe there could be many more.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- Investigators say they found several disturbing clues at Rajeev Sanhi's Cupertino home, including collages of young women and stuffed animals.

RELATED: Santa Clara police arrest man accused of stalking minors

Sanhi, 35, is accused of stalking at least four underage girls but Santa Clara County investigators believe there could be a total of 19 alleged victims based on what they found at his home.

Raj Sanhi appears in his mugshot in Santa Clara, Calif. on March 8, 2017.
KGO-TV

"We saw that he had a lot of photographs of these young girls, almost in a kind of a shrine on his wall, pretty serious stuff," said Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith.

Until he goes in front of a judge Thursday, there's no bail. He's facing several counts of stalking and annoying underage girls.

Detectives served a search warrant at his home on South Tantau Avenue. In addition to photos of girls, police say they found gifts including a personalized license plate intended for would-be victims.

Investigators say Sanhi had applied for jobs and volunteer positions at churches and schools and that he handed out business cards to girls promoting his website and a book called, "JC Makeover." His website is all about inner beauty and Jesus.

"It's about finding people who are potential victims," Smith told ABC7 News. "Cultivating people, trying to earn their trust."

One 14-year-old reported Sanhi followed her home on multiple occasions. A neighbor, who didn't want to be identified, told us she had an unsettling interaction with him a few months ago.

"I had to call the police on him," she said. "He was harassing some high schoolers who were walking by, shouting obscenities at girls."

Police believe Sanhi engaged in similar activity in Saratoga, Los Gatos, San Jose, and Los Altos, even following one girl to the Los Angeles area.

A mom who on the street says it's shocking. "This is an area with a good school district," said Cupertino resident Holly Peng. "It's hard to believe."

Investigators are working to locate other potential victims. They ask anyone who has had an inappropriate encounter with Sanhi to contact them and come forward.