‘Maine Kanya Vadh Kar Di’: What Radhika Yadav’s Father Said After Killing the Haryana Tennis Player

In a deeply disturbing case, 25-year-old state-level tennis player Radhika Yadav was shot dead by her father, Deepak Yadav, at their home in Gurugram on Thursday. The accused, a 49-year-old resident of Sushant Lok-2, allegedly fired four bullets at his daughter while she was cooking breakfast.

Following the incident, Deepak Yadav reportedly confessed to the crime in a conversation with his brother, saying he had “lost his mind.”

“He told me, ‘Bhai, maine kanya vadh kar diya hai. Mujhe maar do…’ [Brother, I have killed my daughter. Kill me…]. He didn’t mention a reason. Just kept saying he had lost control,” Radhika’s uncle, Vijay Yadav, told news agency ANI.

Vijay Yadav added that Radhika’s father was heavily involved in her tennis career, driving her to training sessions every day at 5 a.m. and picking her up in the evening. “He said at the police station too — if there’s a rule for hanging, then hang me,” Vijay recalled.

Radhika, a tennis coach, was cremated on Friday in her native village of Wazirabad. The postmortem confirmed she was shot four times — three bullets hit her back and one struck her shoulder.

Police say the murder was premeditated. “He usually bought milk in the morning, but on Thursday he sent his son instead. Once he was alone with Radhika, he executed the plan,” said Sandeep Kumar, PRO of Gurugram Police.

While no official motive has been confirmed, several reports have speculated on possible reasons — ranging from family disputes to disagreements over a tennis academy, social media activity, or a music video.

On Saturday, a Gurugram court sent Deepak Yadav to 14 days of judicial custody.