Police have rejected claims that an 18-year-old boy and his parents died in Maharashtra's Sambhajinagar after a dispute over an iPhone, saying a family conflict that had been ongoing for nearly three months may have preceded the tragedy, reports said.
Kunal Chandwade, 18, had called his mother from Khavda hills, a few kilometres from his home and told her he was determined to end his life, according to a senior police officer aware of the investigation.
His parents, Murlidhar and Sangeeta, reached the area and began searching for their son. According to police, they followed Kunal through the terrain and tried to persuade him to return.
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The teenager then climbed a cliff and moved towards its edge. When his father tried to pull him back, the two lost their balance and fell from the cliff, the officer said. The incident took place at around 12:30 pm.
“Eyewitnesses said that in a couple of seconds, heartbroken the mother too jumped off,” The Print quoted the officer as saying.
Videos of the incident subsequently circulated widely on social media, accompanied by claims that Kunal had taken the extreme step after his father refused to buy him an iPhone.
Print reported that police have dismissed that version of events.
“This is completely incorrect. The family had been having disputes for the past three months,” the officer reportedly said.
According to the preliminary police inquiry, Murlidhar and Sangeeta had married despite objections from Murlidhar's family. Murlidhar had subsequently moved from Jalna district to Sambhajinagar and stopped speaking to his parents and sister.
The officer said Murlidhar had resumed contact with his family over the past three months, including visiting them. This had reportedly led to tensions between the couple.
“For the past few months Murlidhar had begun speaking to them and visiting them. This had caused a rift in their relationship and to the tune that he had not been coming home after work,” the officer said, as per the report.
Murlidhar worked as a driver and would reportedly stay away from home after long work trips. He had returned home only the night before the three deaths, according to police.
The investigation is continuing. Police have so far questioned at least 10 people, including eyewitnesses, neighbours and relatives. No FIR has been registered yet, the officer said.
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