Tennis Player Murder Case: Radhika Yadav had appeared in a music video a year ago.
- Radhika Yadav, a 25-year-old tennis player, was shot dead by her father in Gurugram
- Father Deepak Yadav confessed to shooting Radhika three times in the back at home
- Family tensions arose over Radhika’s financial independence and social media presence
The 25-year-old national-level tennis player, Radhika Yadav, who was shot dead by her father at their residence in Gurugram on Thursday, was killed following months of tensions within the family, allegedly over her financial independence, Instagram reels, and a music video appearance that reportedly upset her father.
According to the police, Deepak Yadav, 49, confessed to the murder during initial questioning. He told the authorities that he was repeatedly taunted by villagers in Wazirabad, his native place, for depending on his daughter's earnings and had urged her several times to shut down the tennis academy she ran.
Deepak confessed that he shot Radhika three times in the back while she was preparing food in the kitchen around 10:30 am. Her uncle, Kuldeep Yadav, who lives on the ground floor of the same building, heard gunshots and rushed upstairs to find Radhika lying on the kitchen floor, with the revolver left in the adjacent drawing room.
She was taken by car to Asia Maringo Hospital in Sector 56, where doctors pronounced her dead.
A Music Video Trigger?
Deepak, a former bank employee, allegedly held a growing resentment toward his daughter's rising stature and independence, particularly after she opened her own tennis academy in Sector 57.
While financial independence and defiance over running the academy were persistent points of conflict, police sources have said that Radhika's appearance in a music video may have further aggravated tensions at home.
The video in question is a song titled Karwaan by independent artist INAAM, produced by Zeeshan Ahmad and released under the LLF Records label a year ago. The video features Radhika alongside INAAM in several scenes. Sources close to the investigation told NDTV that Deepak had objected to the video and had asked her to delete it from her social media accounts.
Family Conflict
Radhika had sustained a shoulder injury during a recent match, which forced her to pause her playing career. Instead of stepping away from tennis entirely, she chose to coach young players.
Police say the father began objecting more aggressively after receiving remarks in his village about relying on his daughter's income. His statement to the police, recorded in the FIR, revealed he felt "ashamed" and by comments suggesting he lived off his daughter's success.
"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," Deepak told the police.
Thursday morning, according to his confession, he took out his licensed .32 bore revolver and shot his daughter from behind as she was making breakfast. Of the five rounds fired, three struck her.
Eyewitness and Family Accounts
The FIR was filed by Kuldeep Yadav, the younger brother of the accused and Radhika's uncle.
"Around 10:30 am, I heard a loud sound. When I went upstairs, I saw my niece lying motionless in the kitchen. The revolver was on the floor in the drawing room. My son and I immediately took her to the hospital, but she was already gone," Kuldeep told the police.
The accused's wife, Manju Yadav, was present in the house at the time of the shooting but has reportedly declined to give a written statement. Police quoted her saying she had a fever and had locked herself in her room.
"She 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 Radhika were present..." he said in the FIR.
