The Gurugram Police on Sunday declared that they are not going to take into account statements or tributes posted by friends or users on social media in relation to the tennis player Radhika Yadav's murder.
Referring to the case as "open and shut," the authorities declared that they are proceeding on the basis of hard forensic evidence and trustworthy eyewitnesses only.
Amidst reactions from the public, one of Yadav's friends, Himaanshika Singh Rajput, uploaded a video on Instagram claiming that the offense was a result of premeditated actions fueled by pressures from society. "She was not alright for the last 10 days. Her dad had planned the murder three days prior to that," she asserted.
Himaanshika in her statement indicated that Yadav had finally given in to her father's pressure. She even blamed the father's friends for provoking his ire by making comments on Radhika's looks, her makeup, and her growing online popularity.
All this notwithstanding, the police observed that Yadav's social media presence did not indicate that she was a run-of-the-mill influencer. Her personal Instagram account followed by only 69 people. Officials explained that there was no immediate connection between her online presence and the accused motive. "The accused has admitted to the crime. These video statements are not part of the investigation and won't be included in the charge sheet," Public Relations Officer for the Gurugram Police Sandeep Kumar said.
Kumar further said, "When we questioned him, we instructed Deepak Yadav to mention the individuals who incited him against his daughter, but he was not able to provide the name of even one person. We have interrogated over 20 persons from Wazirabad village, including family members and close relatives, and nobody confessed about having such a conversation."
Although the motive is still somewhat unclear, police state that they possess sufficient clinching evidence to file charges. This includes the recovery of the murder weapon, forensic data, and Deepak Yadav’s confession. 25-year-old state-level tennis player and Sector 56 tennis academy founder Radhika Yadav was shot dead in her Sushant Lok Phase-3 residence on July 11 morning. Officials think the killing was premeditated, citing that Deepak had asked his son to purchase milk, something he would normally do himself, prior to supposedly firing four shots into Radhika's back while she was cooking breakfast to celebrate her mother's birthday.
Deepak's licensed revolver and four spent cartridges were recovered by the police at the spot. He, in his confession, gave personal resentment and pressure from society as motives. "He admitted taunts by villagers about living on his daughter's earnings and her character being questioned hurt him most," a investigating officer quoted him as saying.
Additional revelations came from WhatsApp messages extracted from Radhika's mobile. She spoke about wanting to move away from her home life while chatting with her coach in many of those conversations. "Wanna enjoy life, idhar kaafi restrictions hai," she typed. During another chat, she stated she wanted to go to Dubai or Australia to pursue studies and live on her own.
Radhika's mother, Manju Yadav, who was with her at the time of the fatal shooting, has not been mentioned in the investigation until now.
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