A former national-level tennis player, Radhika Yadav, was shot dead by her father Deepak Yadav in Gurugram on July 10. The accused confessed to killing his daughter because he was mocked by villagers for living off her earnings from her tennis academy, which hurt his dignity.The incident occurred around 10:30 am when Radhika’s uncle Kuldeep heard a loud bang from the first floor of their house. Upon investigation, he found Radhika lying in the kitchen and a revolver in the drawing room. Kuldeep and his son Piyush rushed Radhika to Asia Moringo Hospital in Sector 56, Gurugram, where doctors declared her dead.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!During interrogation, Deepak admitted that Radhika was a successful tennis player who had competed at the national level. She had recently opened her academy to coach children after suffering a shoulder injury.
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“When I used to go to Wazirabad village to get milk, people used to taunt me, saying that I live off my daughter’s earnings. This troubled me a lot. Some people even questioned my daughter’s character. I told my daughter to close her tennis academy, but she refused. This situation kept bothering me as it hurt my dignity. I was very troubled and stressed. Because of this tension, I took out my licensed revolver, and when my daughter Radhika was cooking in the kitchen, I shot her three times from behind, hitting her waist. I have killed my daughter,” Deepak confessed.Manju Yadav, Radhika’s mother, declined to provide a written statement but verbally informed police that she was in her room with fever during the incident. She expressed confusion about her husband’s actions, stating that Radhika had good character.India’s tennis professionals Sowjanya Bavisetti and Sharmada Balu shared their reactions to the tragic incident.
India women’s tennis player Sowjanya Bavisetti reacted to the killing of Radhika Yadav. (Instagram)
“This is heart wrenching. I only met her once at a tournament. She had the prettiest smile. I can’t believe her own father could think of committing such a heinous crime. A whole life ahead of her has been taken away because of a stupid ‘log kya kehenge’ [what would people say]. Rest in peace, girl! May you get a better family in next life,” wrote Bavisetti on Instagram.Balu, a former national champion, wrote, “This is so heartbreaking and disturbing,” on Instagram.
India women’s tennis player Sharmada Balu reacted to the killing of Radhika Yadav. (Instagram)
Describing the incident, Kuldeep said, “Today, I was at my house when around 10:30 am I suddenly heard a loud bang. Hearing the noise, I went to the first floor where my brother lives and upon entering the house, I saw my niece, Radhika Yadav, lying in the kitchen and a revolver lying in the drawing room.”“After that, my son Piyush Yadav and I went upstairs. We both lifted Radhika and took her in our car to the Asia Moringo Hospital, Sector 56, Gurugram, for treatment. After examination, the doctor declared my niece dead,” he added.Kuldeep confirmed that only Deepak, his wife Manju Yadav, and Radhika were present at the time of the incident. The murder weapon was identified as Deepak’s licensed 32-bore revolver.Police investigators collected fingerprints from the revolver and found five cartridges, one of which was live. They secured the revolver, live cartridge, blood samples, and swabs as evidence.The police have established that the accused has committed offences under sections 103(1) and 27(3) of the relevant law based on statements, crime scene inspection, physical evidence, and the accused’s confession.“My niece had been shot. Radhika was a prominent tennis player who had won many trophies. I am shocked by her death and cannot understand why she was murdered. When I went to the first floor, only my brother Deepak, my sister-in-law Manju Yadav, and the deceased Radhika were present. My nephew Dheeraj Yadav was not there at the time; only these three were upstairs. The revolver found there was a licensed 32-bore revolver belonging to my brother Deepak,” Kuldeep stated.
