Distinguished Bay Area chef identified as victim in Fremont homicide

FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- The search is on for a suspect in the murder of chef Dominic Sarkar, who was shot and killed inside a Fremont home.

Police say a man was shot dead inside a home early Monday morning. A witness told authorities that a male suspect was seen leaving the scene on a bicycle.

The victim was identified by Fremont police as Dominic Sarkar, 56. Friends and former colleagues said Sarkar was a distinguished chef who had worked in kitchens around the world.

Known for his culinary skills, employees at Rangoli, Flavors of India in Fremont tell ABC7 News Sarkar was the executive chef over the last eight to ten months.

Nine years before that, from 2009 to earlier this year, Sarkar worked as the executive chef at Passage to India in Mountain View.

"Everyone loved him," Shobani Taneja said. "He was very well respected and he was a master at his work."

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Taneja was at the restaurant Sunday, with Sarkar.

He told the restaurant crew he was about to fly to India, but would return to work at the Mountain View restaurant after his three-week trip.

Sarkar was going to India to visit his brother, wife and three daughters. His flight was set to takeoff sometime Monday morning.

"After coming back from India, he was going to come here and join here," Passage to India owner, Sushma Taneja said. "He was very much excited about it."

She says he left the restaurant around 2 p.m., and returned home to Fremont. Then around 12:30 a.m., a neighbor reported hearing gunshots.

Police found Sarkar's body inside a Fremont home along Charleston Way near Jersey Rd., in a room friends said he was renting. Sarkar was shot dead.

"When I was wishing him, have a safe journey, he says, 'No ma'am. Don't wish me now. I'm going to call you from the airport around 11 o'clock,'" Sushma Taneja told ABC7 News. "Then at 10:30 a.m. yesterday, I found out that he's no more."

The incident marks the city's second homicide this year. Anyone with information that could help detectives is asked to contact Fremont police.