Radhika Yadav Murder: Uncle Says Victim’s Mother Was On Second Floor When Shooting Happened

Gurugram Police on Friday said they were investigating all possible angles in the murder of former tennis player Radhika Yadav, including what her mother was doing when the incident occurred.

It was earlier said that her mother was on the ground floor, and she rushed upstairs after hearing the gunshots, which, she said, sounded like a pressure cooker blast. According to an FIR registered based on the complaint of Radhika's uncle, Kuldeep Yadav, her mother, Manju Yadav, was present on the first floor of the house when the incident occurred. Her brother Dheeraj was, however, not present at the time of the incident.

What Had Happened

The 25-year-old former player was shot dead by her father, Deepak Yadav, 49, at the family's double-storey home in the upscale Sushant Lok area of Gurugram on Thursday. Deepak later confessed to killing his daughter and was arrested.

In the FIR, Kuldeep Yadav said Radhika used to stay on the first floor of their house with her father Deepak and mother Manju in Sector 57. Kuldeep lived on the ground floor of the same house along with his family. On Thursday, around 10:30 AM, he suddenly heard a "loud explosion" and rushed to the first floor.

"I saw my niece Radhika lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen, and the revolver was found in the drawing room. My son, Piyush Yadav, also rushed to the first floor. Both of us picked up Radhika and rushed her in our car to Asia Maringo Hospital in Sector 56, where doctors declared her dead," said Kuldeep.

SHO Sector 56 Police Station, Rajendra Kumar, reported receiving a call from the hospital regarding a woman admitted with gunshot wounds. “By the time we arrived, she had passed away. Statements from family members confirmed that the father was responsible,” he added.

Why Was She Killed

According to early media reports, the shooting was the result of an alleged intense argument between the two about a reel posted by the tennis player on social media. Her father, angered about her addiction of reel-posting, took out his licensed revolver and fired five bullets at her, of which three hit her, as per NDTV

According to sources, Deepak Yadav confessed that he shot at Radhika because he was often taunted for living off her income, reported PTI.

Police, however, in an official statement, claimed that the tennis academy Radhika ran was an issue of disagreements between the father and the daughter. "Radhika used to run a tennis academy, and her father was not happy with it," said Gurugram police spokesperson Sandeep Singh.

A police official said they were probing all angles, including what the former tennis player's mother was doing when the killing happened.

"My niece was a very good tennis player, and she had won several trophies. I am surprised why she was murdered. My brother has a licensed .32 bore revolver. It was lying there," Radhika’s uncle told police.

Radhika Yadav was a promising tennis player from Haryana. Her International Tennis Federation doubles ranking was 113 at the time of her death. Her career-best rankings in junior AITA charts were 35 (singles) and 53 (doubles).