- 19-year-old Kunal Chandgude died by suicide
- Kunal’s father died trying to save him when he jumped from a 250-foot cliff in Maharashtra
- Sources say a domestic dispute may have led to the family's death
It wasn't only the crippling aspiration to own an Apple iPhone that forced 19-year-old Kunal Chandgude to jump to his death from a cliff in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. A family dispute following the death of his elder brother and the fraught relationship between his parents might have also contributed to pushing the teen over the edge, sources said.
The incident on Friday wasn't Kunal's first suicide bid. He had attempted to die by suicide last year from the same cliff.
Police were then successful in persuading the teen to drop the idea of ending his life. This time, however, they failed.
The father, Murlidhar, fell into the 250-foot-deep gorge trying to save Kunal, and the heartbroken mother, Sangeeta, jumped into it -- both died on the spot along with their second son.
Per the sources, the family dispute began after the couple lost their elder son to a disease six years ago.
The father, who worked as a driver, immersed himself in work. He would reportedly not come home for several months at a stretch.
Two days before the suicide, he returned home, triggering fights.
Police said Kunal had purchased an iPhone but wasn't able to pay its instalments. He and his father argued about this, after which the teen ran to the cliff at around 10 am.
Also read: Begging, Pleading, Prostrating: Mother's Desperate Attempts To Stop Suicidal Teen
What Happened At The Cliff
Several videos showed Kunal standing on the edge of the cliff. His mother begged, pleaded, and stepped forward to try to pull him back, then moved away to make sure he didn't get startled and lose his balance.
She and her husband both beseeched Kunal to step away and promised they would solve whatever problems he had.
He didn't budge.
"Mom, no one listens to me. I have no interest in living. There is no solution for my life; nothing is going to get better," Kunal told them.
Many of the onlookers also promised to buy him an iPhone.
As this went on for 3 hours, Kunal's father grabbed his hand to force him to safety. Both, however, lost their balance and fell to their deaths. Within seconds, Sangeeta, unable to bear the shock, died by suicide.
Also read: iPhone EMI Behind Teen, Parents' Deaths In Maharashtra Hill Horror
Sangeeta's Cryptic Post
Sangeeta Chandgude's social media posts also hinted at tension within the family.
She had a YouTube channel with over 29,000 subscribers.
"You took away my and my son's rights over property. You never allowed brothers and parents to unite. You destroyed my happy family. You poisoned my family... You separated my son from his parents. This sin... your next seven generations will suffer. This is my curse," she said in a recent video.
Police are investigating who Sangeeta was referring to.
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