‘People said I lived off her’: Father kills national-level tennis player over village taunts
In a shocking case from Gurugram, a father shot and killed his 25-year-old daughter, Radhika Yadav, a national-level tennis player, after being ridiculed by locals for living off her earnings. The accused, Deepak Yadav (49), confessed to the crime during police interrogation, revealing that public humiliation drove him to commit the murder.
“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 police.
“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,” he admitted.
The crime came to light when Radhika’s uncle, Kuldeep Yadav, who lives in the same house, heard a loud sound around 10:30 am and rushed upstairs where his brother lived.
“Today, I was at my house when around 10:30 a.m. 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,” he said.
Kuldeep and his son, Piyush, rushed Radhika to Asia Moringo Hospital in Sector 56, where doctors declared her dead.
“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,” he added.
At the time of the incident, only Deepak, his wife Manju Yadav, and Radhika were present in the house. Deepak’s son Dheeraj was not home. The revolver found at the scene, a licensed 32-bore, was confirmed to belong to Deepak.
Police collected key evidence including the revolver, blood samples, a live cartridge, and fingerprints. Upon opening the revolver, investigators found five cartridges, one of them live.
Deepak told police that Radhika had stopped playing due to a shoulder injury and had started her tennis academy to coach children. He said societal taunts and questions about her character pushed him over the edge.
Manju Yadav, Radhika’s mother, refused to give a written statement. She verbally told officers that she was unwell and unaware of what had transpired.
She asserted that Radhika had a good character and could not understand why her husband would kill her.
Kuldeep gave his full statement, which, along with forensic evidence and Deepak’s confession, led police to charge the accused under Sections 103(1) and 27(3) of the relevant laws.
IANS inputs