Gurugram man kills daughter over her tennis academy's success

Police said that one of the prime angles being examined is the father’s apparent anger over taunts from villagers and peers in their native Wazirabad

A 51-year-old man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly shooting dead his 25-year-old daughter, a promising state-level tennis player who ran her own tennis academy, at their residence in Gurugram’s Sector-57, police said.

Radhika was a bright and promising athlete. (File Photo)

The accused, Deepak Yadav, was arrested from the chilling crime scene, and his licensed revolver seized.

The victim, Radhika Yadav, was shot three times in the back while she was cooking in the kitchen of their three-storey home in Block-G of Sushant Lok II around 10.30am, police said, adding that she died instantly from injuries to her vital organs.

Investigators, meanwhile, said they are probing several possible motives for the father to kill his daughter, all of which point to a toxic cocktail of social pressure, patriarchal insecurities, and wounded ego.

Police said that one of the prime angles being examined is the father’s apparent anger over taunts from villagers and peers in their native Wazirabad, a part of which now falls under Sector 57. Many allegedly mocked him for living off his daughter’s income from her tennis academy, according to an investigator privy to the case details.

Despite the family’s financial stability—Yadav is a builder—he reportedly resented Radhika’s growing independence and financial success from her academy, which she ran near their home, the officer cited above said.

“He asked her repeatedly to shut the tennis academy,” said assistant commissioner of police (Sadar) Yashwant Yadav. “But she refused. Arguments had taken place earlier as well. He finally shot her dead over the same dispute.”

According to police, the father claimed he had been battling depression for the past 15 days due to social criticism about his daughter’s career and earnings. In his confession, he reportedly said he could no longer bear the humiliation which had hurt his ‘pride’, as mentioned in the FIR which was accessed by HT.

Her mother, Manju Yadav, as per the FIR, refused to give her statement to police citing she was suffering from fever and had not seen anything.

Police are also probing other possible triggers. One investigator said that a recent altercation may have been sparked by a video reel Radhika posted on social media, which the father disapproved of. However, officers emphasised that the investigation is ongoing and other motives – such as a possible objection to her friendships or relationships – have not been ruled out.

Police said that on Thursday morning, Deepak was in his bedroom on the first floor when he allegedly took out his licensed revolver, walked into the kitchen where his daughter was preparing food, and fired three bullets into her back.

On hearing the gunshots, the victim’s mother initially assumed a pressure cooker had exploded. She rushed upstairs and found her daughter lying in a pool of blood. Radhika was taken to a private hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

The mother, Radhika’s younger brother, and an uncle were at home at the time. On the uncle’s complaint, a case of murder was registered at Sector-56 police station.

Radhika was a bright and promising athlete. A graduate from Scottish High International School, she had cleared her Class 12 exams in commerce in 2018 and had taken to tennis early in her school years. She had recently suffered a shoulder injury and was undergoing physiotherapy, but that hadn’t deterred her from running her academy or continuing to inspire young players.

Police officers said Radhika was known to be full of life and would often shoot celebratory reels dancing with her father after winning trophies.

The victim’s family did not give any statement when HT tried reaching out. Her body will be handed over to the family after an autopsy on Friday.