Humiliated for living off daughter's money, man kills former state-level tennis player in Gurugram

Gurugram: In a shocking case, 25-year-old state-level tennis player Radhika Yadav was shot dead by her father at their home in Sushant Lok-II, Sector 57, Gurugram, on Thursday morning, allegedly because others mocked him for being financially dependent on her.

According to police, the accused, Deepak Yadav (49), fired five rounds at Radhika with his licensed .32 bore revolver around 10.30 am while she was cooking in the kitchen on the first floor. Three bullets struck her in the back, killing her instantly. He confessed to the murder soon after he was arrested.

Radhika’s mother, who was on the ground floor at the time, rushed upstairs after mistaking the gunshots for a pressure cooker blast. Her uncle, Kuldeep Yadav, who lives on the ground floor, also ran upstairs with his son Piyush and found Radhika lying motionless. The revolver was recovered from the drawing room. The family rushed Radhika to Asia Moringo Hospital in Sector 56, where she was declared dead on arrival. Kuldeep later filed the police complaint that led to Deepak’s arrest.

During interrogation, Deepak admitted to killing his daughter, citing humiliation as the motive. “People in the village mocked me for living off my daughter’s income. Some even questioned her character. I told her to close her tennis academy, but she refused. I couldn’t take it anymore,” he reportedly told investigators. “When she was in the kitchen, I shot her three times from behind.”

Deepak also revealed that Radhika had recently suffered a shoulder injury and had opened a tennis academy where she coached children. Though he asked her to shut down the institute, she refused to do so. He said he felt increasingly isolated and ashamed due to remarks from others about his financial dependence on her. Radhika lived with her parents and brother in their double-storey home. Originally from Wazirabad village, the family had moved to the upscale Sushant Lok locality in Gurugram.

At the time of the incident, only Deepak, his wife Manju Yadav, and Radhika were at home. Their son, Dheeraj Yadav, was away at a property dealer’s office. Manju reportedly refused to give a written statement to police, verbally stating she was unwell and unaware of what had transpired. She insisted her daughter had a good character and said she could not understand why her husband had killed her.

The murder weapon was recovered and sent for ballistic and forensic testing. Police collected fingerprints, blood samples, and swabs from the crime scene. The revolver was found to contain five cartridges, one of them live.

“The motive appears to be humiliation and ego. The accused was upset over being seen as financially dependent on his daughter and angry about her decision to continue the academy despite his disapproval,” said Assistant Sub-Inspector Sandeep. Station House Officer Rajender Kumar said the hospital had first alerted police when Radhika was brought in with gunshot wounds. Based on witness accounts, physical evidence, and Deepak’s confession, police have booked him under relevant sections of the law, including 103(1) and 27(3).

Radhika was a doubles tennis player who had once ranked among the top 200 in India, according to a sports website.
(With PTI and IANS inputs.)