Kunal Chandgude’s parents and emergency personnel spent three hours trying to convince him not to jump off a cliff before the tragedy on Friday, Aug. 21
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NEED TO KNOW
- Kunal Chandgude, 19, and his parents fell from Khawadya Hill in India on Friday, Aug. 21
- The incident occurred after an alleged family dispute over a cell phone payment
- Police and fire personnel spent three hours trying to de-escalate the situation before the fatal falls
A teenage boy and his parents fell to their deaths after an alleged argument over his new cell phone.
At around 10 a.m. local time on Friday, Aug. 21, Kunal Chandgude went up Khawadya Hill in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, India, after allegedly arguing with his parents over a payment for a new cell phone he purchased, The Indian Express, NDTV and Hindustan Times reported, citing a police report.
His father, Murlidhar, 48, and mother Sangita followed him as he threatened to jump while standing on the edge of a cliff, according to the outlets.
Police and fire personnel arrived at the scene and tried for three hours to convince the teenager to return home with his parents, per The Indian Express.
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At around 1 p.m., Murlidhar moved closer to his son to try to bring him away from the edge when Kunal allegedly jumped. His father then fell to his death while trying to save him, quickly followed by his mother, who is believed to have jumped after seeing the pair fall, The Indian Express and Hindustan Times reported.
The bodies were recovered by police and sent for post-mortem examination.
Witness Sanjay Jadhav told 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.”
“The mother kept pleading with him not to jump,” he recalled.
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Kunal’s parents were reportedly living separately after their eldest son died from an illness six years prior, according to NDTV.
The day before the tragic incident, Sangita posted a video on YouTube saying there is “no point in doing anything for a person who does not value love,” per NDTV. She had over 30,000 subscribers and regularly posted mini-vlogs featuring her son.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar City Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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