iPhone demand argument takes tragic turn in India

A family tragically lost their lives after a row over a mobile phone took a devastating turn on the edge of a cliff in India.

Teenager Kunal Chandude, 19, had become embroiled in a dispute with his father and reportedly made the decision to travel to Khavda Hill, India, with the intention of ending his own life.

What followed was a tense stand-off lasting three hours, with his parents and bystanders desperately pleading with him to step back from the cliff edge as he threatened to jump.

The harrowing ordeal ended in tragedy when Kunal and his parents – dad Murlidhar, 48, and mum Sangita – all plunged from the cliff edge.

Kunal had purchased an expensive iPhone on a monthly instalment plan but found himself unable to keep up with the payments, according to the Indian Express.

A bitter row then erupted between Kunal and his father, who worked as a driver, when the teenager asked for money to cover the latest instalment, a request his parents flatly refused.

The teenager made his way to the hill in Tisgaon at around 10 am. Hours later, at approximately 1 pm, dad Murlidhar, attempted to grab him.

However, as he drew closer, the teenager jumped. Police say his father fell while trying to save him, though other reports suggest he was pulled down.

According to District Collector and Magistrate Vinay Gowda: “The boy fell from the cliff and, holding on to his father’s hand, pulled him down with him.”

Sangita looked on in horror as both her husband and son plummeted from the edge. Contradictory accounts mean it remains uncertain whether the mother’s fall from the cliff was deliberate or accidental.

Officers, local residents and firefighters also spent several hours attempting to bring him down, reports the Mirror

Fire crews made efforts to position a safety net beneath the hill; however, Kunal continued to move along the cliff’s edge, according to officials.

A police inquiry into the incident is now under way; a post-mortem examination has been carried out and the remains have been released to the family.