A family of three has died after falling from a cliff in India following a dispute over a mobile phone. Teenager Kunal Chandude, 19, his father Murlidhar, 48, and his mother Sangita all plunged from Khavda Hill in Tisgaon, according to reports.
Argument over phone payments
The incident began after Kunal bought an expensive iPhone to be paid off in monthly instalments but was unable to afford it, the Indian Express reports. An argument broke out between Kunal and his father, who worked as a driver, when the teenager asked for money to pay the latest instalment, which the parents refused.
Kunal then reportedly made the decision to head to Khavda Hill with the intention of taking his own life. He arrived at the hill around 10am, and a stand-off lasted three hours, with his parents and others begging him to move away from the edge as he threatened to jump.
Fatal fall from cliff edge
At around 1pm, father Murlidhar tried to grab him. As he came close, the teenager jumped. Police say his father fell while attempting to save him, while other reports suggest he was pulled. District Collector and Magistrate Vinay Gowda said: "The boy fell from the cliff and holding on to his father's hand, pulled him down with him."
Sangita watched as her husband and son fell from the edge. Conflicting reports leave it unclear whether the mother's fall from the cliff was accidental or intentional.
Emergency response and investigation
Police, villagers and firefighters spent hours trying to bring Kunal down. Fire personnel attempted to place a safety net below the hill, but Kunal kept moving along the edge of the cliff, officials said.
A police investigation into the incident is now underway. A postmortem has been completed and the bodies have been returned to their relatives.
