A pending iPhone EMI wasn’t just the reason for the death of 18-year-old Kunal Chandgude, who fell from a cliff in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. According to sources, a fraught relationship between his parents following the death of his elder brother may also have contributed to his decision to end his life.
Investigation revealed that the incident on Friday wasn’t Kunal’s first bid to attempt suicide. He had earlier also attempted to die by suicide from the same cliff. However, police back then were successful in persuading the teen to drop the idea of ending his life, a failure this time.
Sources investigating the matter revealed the dispute in the family began after the couple lost their elder son, who succumbed to a disease six years ago. The father, who worked as a driver, immersed himself in work and would avoid coming home for months at a stretch. Two days before the incident, he returned home, triggering fights.
According to the police, Kunal had purchased an iPhone but was unable to pay installments. He and his father argued about this, after which the teen ran to the cliff at around 10 a.m.
Visuals from the clip show Kunal standing at the edge of the cliff while his mother begged, pleaded and stepped forward to try to pull him back. However, she moved away to make sure he didn’t get startled and lose his balance. She and her husband both kept urging Kunal to step away and promised they would solve whatever problems he had.
He did not budge. In reply to them, he said, “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.”
Minutes later, Kunal’s father grabbed his hand and unfortunately, both lost their balance and fell to their deaths. Within seconds, Sangeeta, who was also unable to bear the shock, jumped to her death.
Police during their investigation also came across a social media post by Sangeeta Chandgude, which hinted at tensions within the family. The post read, “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.
The police are yet to ascertain whom Sangeeta was referring to in the post.
Sangeeta’s sister, Pallavi Patil, has described the iPhone narrative as a “rumour”, claiming that people spreading such tales “know nothing”.Patil was returning home after collecting ashes of her sister, nephew, and brother-in-law Murlidhar, when she recorded a video message, expressing what her family is going through.
Addressing the claim that Kunal drove his parents to death over an iPhone EMI, Patil urged people to “not spread rumours”.
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