1 week ago
iPhone Dispute Ends in Fatal Maharashtra Hill Fall
Police said a teenager named Kunal argued with his family about paying for an iPhone.
He then went to a hill and stood near a dangerous cliff.
His parents, villagers, police officers and firefighters tried for about three hours to bring him to safety.
People asked him to think about his mother and his future.
A former village leader also pleaded with him to live for his mother.
Around 1 p.m., Kunal went over the edge while his father tried to reach him.
His father fell too, and his mother fell shortly afterward.
All three died, and police are investigating exactly how the falls happened.
Police linked the incident to a dispute over money for an iPhone purchase or instalment.
Kunal, reported as 18 or 19, went to Khavdya or Khawadya Hill near Tisgaon around 10 a.m. on Friday.
Relatives, villagers, police and firefighters spent nearly three hours trying to move him from the cliff edge.
Around 1 p.m., Kunal and his father Murlidhar fell into a gorge during an attempt to reach or restrain him.
Kunal’s mother Sangeeta or Sangita also fell afterward; all three died and police opened an inquiry.
- Who
- Kunal Chandgude, his father Murlidhar and his mother Sangita or Sangeeta died; relatives, villagers, police and firefighters responded.
- What
- A standoff involving a teenager near a cliff ended with the deaths of the teenager and both parents.
- Where
- Khavdya or Khawadya Hill in the Tisgaon area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Maharashtra, under Waluj MIDC police-station jurisdiction.
- When
- Friday, August 21, 2026; Kunal reportedly reached the hill around 10 a.m., and the falls occurred around 1 p.m.
- Why
- Police linked the crisis to an argument over money for an iPhone purchase or instalment, but said other circumstances remained under investigation.
Official and Police Accounts
Reported Variations and Unresolved Questions
Cause of the crisis
Official and Police Accounts
Police and one official account linked the episode to a dispute over an iPhone, including difficulty paying instalments or a request for a new phone.
Reported Variations and Unresolved Questions
The reports do not establish that the iPhone dispute was the only factor; police said they were still examining the wider family dispute and had not confirmed a mental-health condition.
How Kunal fell
Official and Police Accounts
Some police accounts said Kunal went over the edge or jumped while his father approached, after which his father fell while trying to save him.
Reported Variations and Unresolved Questions
Another account said Kunal lost his balance while holding his father’s hand and pulled him down; the articles therefore do not provide one consistent description of the fall.
Mother’s death
Official and Police Accounts
Several reports said Sangeeta or Sangita went over the edge or jumped after witnessing her husband and son fall.
Reported Variations and Unresolved Questions
A district collector’s account said she slipped while trying to reach them, leaving the precise circumstances disputed or unresolved.
Key facts
- People who died
- Kunal Chandgude, his father Murlidhar Chandgude and his mother Sangita or Sangeeta Chandgude.
- Reported ages
- Kunal was reported as either 18 or 19; Murlidhar was reported as 48. One account reported Sangeeta as 42.
- Location
- Khavdya or Khawadya Hill near Tisgaon in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.
- Reported trigger
- A dispute over money for an iPhone, described variously as a new-phone request or payment of an existing EMI.
- Response effort
- Family members, residents, police and fire personnel tried for nearly three hours to persuade Kunal to leave the cliff edge; firefighters reportedly attempted to arrange a safety net.
- Police action
- The bodies were recovered and sent for post-mortem examinations; police registered a case and began an inquiry.
- Unresolved details
- Reports differ on whether Kunal jumped, fell or lost his balance, and police had not confirmed reports of depression or another mental-health condition.
Quotes
Kunal Chandgude
The 19-year-old teenager involved in the incident.
“We pleaded with him a lot, that he should look at his mother, that he shouldn't jump, that he was educated and had a future ahead of him. We made every appeal we could.”
NDTV
“The parents and others tried very hard to make him understand, but he didn’t listen and kept standing on the edge of the hill. Police officials were also there.”
thestatesman.com
Unidentified man
A man who appealed to Kunal during the suicide threat
“Live for your mother”
NDTV
Sources
Maharashtra Teen Attempts Suicide Over iPhone EMI Payment, Parents Try To Save Him; All 3 Die | Video
Teen denied new iPhone, parents die trying to save him from cliff in Maharashtra tragedy
iPhone EMI Behind Family's Wipeout In Maharashtra Hill Horror
'Maa Ke Liye Jee Lo': Sarpanch’s Plea Fails As iPhone EMI Dispute Turns Fatal, Teen, Parents Die In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | VIDEO
iPhone Dispute Turns Fatal in Maharashtra: Teen Jumps From Hill, Parents Die Trying to Save Him
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