Teenage boy stands on hill edge after demanding parents to pay for his new phone. 3 hours later, he and his parents’ lives end in tragedy

A teenage boy and his parents have tragically lost their lives after falling from Khawadya Hill in India on Friday. 19-year-old Kunal Chandgude allegedly got into an argument with his parents regarding payment of a new cell phone, which ultimately led to his family and emergency services trying to de-escalate the situation for three hours before it ended in tragedy.

The incident occurred around 10 a.m. local time on Friday, August 21. The Hindustan Times reports that Kunal Chandgude went up Khawadya Hill in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after arguing with his parents over the payment of a new mobile phone. Unverified reports indicate that Chandgude had already bought the phone and had asked his family to pay the EMIs. 

He had threatened to take his own life to his parents, prompting his family, villagers, and police to follow him and attempt to persuade him to come down.

Images that have been circulating online show Kunal Chandgude standing on the edge of a sheer drop. His parents and authorities reportedly spent three hours trying to persuade the young man to move away from the edge of the cliff.

A tragic end to the three-hour standoff

Police and fire crew later arrived to offer a hand in the de-escalation efforts. Fire service personnel spread a net at the base of the cliff to try to soften Chandgude’s fall, but the teen allegedly moved along the edge of the cliff, making the rescue efforts more difficult.

Chandgude’s father, Murlidhar, 48, initially tried to reason with his son from below before moving up. 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.”

Sangita, the boy’s mother, was also reportedly seen trying to talk her son down. “The mother kept pleading with him not to jump,” Jadhav said. According to an article from People, Sangita had a YouTube channel with 30,000 subscribers which regularly featured her son. The day before the incident she posted a video saying there is “no point in doing anything for a person who does not value love.”

Around 1 p.m. Murlidhar moved closer to Chandgude and attempted to grab him; however, a moment of imbalance saw both father and son tumble over the edge of the cliff and fall to their deaths.

Footage showed the pair lose their footing on the precarious edge before falling. Sangita witnessed it all, and shortly after the first fall, she was also seen falling from the edge. While it’s not entirely clear from the footage, some have speculated on X that Chandgude had pulled his father to his death.

The bodies of all three have since been recovered and have been sent for a post-mortem examination.