Chh Sambhajinagar: Teen boy jumps off the cliff over conflict on buying iPhone; parents jump to save him; all 3 die
According to police, Kunal had bought the iPhone and had been pressing his family for money to cover the EMI payments.
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On Friday, August 21, Kunal Chandgude, an 18-year-old, and his parents jumped off a cliff in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district of Maharashtra after failing to resolve a conflict over purchasing an iPhone. Kunal had demanded an iPhone, but his parents were struggling to keep up with the instalment payments. That financial strain sparked a family conflict that ended in tragedy, police in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, confirmed. With phone cameras recording the scene, Kunal and his father fell to their deaths from a cliff, and his mother jumped moments later.
All three died at the scene. Police recovered the bodies and sent them for post-mortem examination. A case has been registered, and legal proceedings are ongoing, officials said. The standoff was witnessed by numerous residents and tourists who had gathered at the site over the course of the hours-long incident, with portions of the rescue attempt captured on video.
Police have not yet released further details about what caused the family dispute, or confirmed earlier reports suggesting the teenager may have been dealing with depression.
"Live for your mother," one man urged Kunal as he threatened to jump, according to a video that went viral. He answered, "No, I have to die. That remains the only way." Soon after, his father, Murlidhar Chandgude, climbed up to try to pull him back, but the two lost their footing and fell together. His mother, Sangeeta, jumped from the hill after watching them fall.
The incident took place at Khavda Hill in the Tisgaon area under Waluj MIDC police jurisdiction.
18-year-old and his parents jumped off the cliff (Image- NDTV)
Sanjay Jadhav, a former sarpanch of Tisgaon village, was among those trying to talk Kunal down. Some bystanders even offered to buy him an iPhone 15 Pro. "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," Jadhav said. Throughout much of the standoff, Kunal mostly responded with shrugs, repeating that death was his only option.
According to police, Kunal had bought the iPhone and had been pressing his family for money to cover the EMI payments. This led to a heated argument with his father over the most recent payment, after which Kunal stormed out and climbed a hill in the Tisgaon area, within the jurisdiction of Waluj MIDC police station, at around 10 am.
Not often am I moved to tears inside a studio. But this news broke me.
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) August 22, 2026
A heart-wrenching tragedy in Maharashtra: a family of three died trying to save their 18-year-old son, who was reportedly unable to pay his iPhone EMI.
God. How devastatingly cruel.
No phone, no EMI, no… pic.twitter.com/9QlvlFtsd1
His parents followed him there, and along with other locals, spent nearly three hours trying to convince him to climb down. It remains unclear why a safety net wasn't set up, given that police and fire personnel were present at the scene. At around 1 pm, about three hours into the standoff, Kunal's father climbed up to where his son was standing and tried to physically pull him away from the edge. Both lost their balance and fell into the gorge below. Sangeeta, who saw her husband and son fall, jumped from the hill shortly after.
Senior Police Official Rameshwar Gade commented on the issue and said, "The cliff was 400-500 feet high. Their whole family has been ruined over a phone. He quarreled with his father over a mobile phone and died by suicide while pulling his father along with him. The police and the fire brigade tried to save him. His father was a driver."
#WATCH | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra | Senior Police Official Rameshwar Gade says, "The cliff was 400-500 feet high... Their whole family has been ruined over a phone. He quarreled with his father over a mobile phone and died by suicide while pulling his father along… https://t.co/E4303m3eoV pic.twitter.com/jbjDOZSWZF
— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2026
All three died at the scene. Police recovered the bodies and sent them for post-mortem examination. A case has been registered, and legal proceedings are ongoing, officials said. The standoff was witnessed by numerous residents and tourists who had gathered at the site over the course of the hours-long incident, with portions of the rescue attempt captured on video.
Police have not yet released further details about what caused the family dispute, or confirmed earlier reports suggesting the teenager may have been dealing with depression.