A 25-year-old state-level tennis player, Radhika Yadav was shot dead by her father, Deepak Yadav, in their residence in Gurugram on Thursday, while other family members were also present in the spot, reports now suggest.
Police had earlier said the horrifying crime occurred around 2 pm when the former tennis player was on the first floor, cooking food in the kitchen.
What did Radhika's uncle witness?
Radhika's uncle, Kuldeep Yadav, with his family, lived in the second floor of the same house in Gurugram's Sector 57.
He told police that he suddenly heard a "loud explosion" and rushed to the first floor, where Deepak and his family resided, on Thursday morning, when the incident happened.
“I saw my niece Radhika lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen. My son, Piyush Yadav, also rushed to the first floor,” Kuldeep told the police in a statement, as per a PTI report.
Both of them then rushed Radhika to Asia Maringo Hospital in Gurugram's Sector 56, where she died soon after.
{{/usCountry}}Both of them then rushed Radhika to Asia Maringo Hospital in Gurugram's Sector 56, where she died soon after.
{{/usCountry}}Kuldeep added that the revolver, the murder weapon, was found in the drawing room of the house.
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Police probe differing angles
Police rushed to the hospital after they had received information from the hospital authorities. They visited the Yadav residence after this and found out that the father was allegedly behind the crime.
A complaint was filed by Deepak's brother Kuldeep. “The murder weapon which was a licensed revolver has been confiscated, and the accused has been arrested,” said Gurugram Police spokesperson Sandeep Kumar.
It was earlier said that the former tennis player's mother, Manju Yadav, was on the ground floor, when the incident took place, and she rushed upstairs after hearing the gunshots, which, she said, sounded “like a pressure cooker blast”.
Kuldeep said only Deepak, his wife and daughter were on the first floor of the house when the incident happened. “Their son, Dheeraj was not present there at the time of the incident”, the deceased's uncle told the police, which was recorded in the FIR.
Radhika's mother refused to give her statement to the police, and claimed she had fever and did not see anything.
A police official said they were probing all angles, including what the mother was doing when the killing happened.
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What does the athlete's father say?
Radhika's father, the accused in her murder case, has allegedly confessed to the crime, though a confession only before the police is not admissible as evidence in court.
During his questioning by the police, Deepak allegedly said he was mocked by the society for "living off his daughter's earnings".
What was the probable reason of the crime?
"Radhika used to run a tennis academy in Gurugram, and her father was not happy with it," Gurugram police spokesperson told PTI.
According to police, Deepak fired at least five gunshots towards his daughter, three of which hit her in the back.
Kumar said initial findings suggested that a social media post by the former athlete led to a tension between the father-daughter duo.
He also said that the tennis academy run by Radhika earlier caused several scuffles between the father and daughter. “The father became agitated and shot her,” he added.