An 18-year-old boy and his parents fell to their deaths from a hill in Maharashtra after an argument over iPhone installment payments, with rescue efforts underway at the time of the incident.
A family of three died after falling from Khawadya Hill in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district on Friday, according to Indian media reports. The deceased were identified as Kunal Chandgude, 18, his father Murlidhar Chandgude, 48, a driver by profession, and his mother Sangeeta Chandgude. All three were residents of the Zalta Phata area.
The tragedy followed a dispute over mobile phone payments. Kunal had purchased an expensive iPhone through installment plans but was unable to meet the monthly payments himself. When he requested money from his parents to cover the latest installment, they declined, triggering a heated argument between father and son.
Following the confrontation, Kunal proceeded up the hill around 10 am, apparently intending to end his life. His parents followed him to attempt to convince him to return home. Upon being alerted, local villagers, police teams, and fire brigade personnel mobilized for a rescue operation. Firefighters worked to position a safety net below the cliff, but efforts were complicated as Kunal moved repeatedly along the hill's edge, limiting safe access for responders.
Around 1 pm, Murlidhar approached his son to de-escalate the situation and encourage him to abandon his plan. According to police accounts, Kunal subsequently went over the edge of the cliff. Murlidhar attempted to prevent his son's fall but lost his footing in the process, plunging down the steep slope alongside his son. Sangeeta, who had witnessed the incident, then went over the edge herself. Emergency personnel recovered all three bodies from the area, and an investigation remains underway.
