‘Think about your mother’: 1 fall, 3 deaths at Maharashtra hill; how teen’s iPhone demand ended in tragedy | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar News
CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: An 18-year-old, apparently upset because his parents refused to buy him an Iphone, died after jumping from Khavdya Dongar near Tisgaon on Friday.In a devastating turn, both his parents also lost their lives while trying to save him, despite nearly three hours of frantic efforts by family members, villagers, police and fire brigade personnel to bring him to safety.Kunal Chandwade, his father Murlidhar and mother Sangeeta died within moments of each other around 1pm.Police said Kunal reached the hill around 10am and remained near the edge while his parents, villagers and rescuers repeatedly pleaded with him to step back.
For 3 hours, couple pleaded with son to step away
Fire brigade teams deployed safety nets below, but struggled as the teenager kept shifting his position along the steep cliff.According to local residents, Kunal was distressed after his demand for an expensive mobile phone was not met. Once his family learnt of his intentions, his parents rushed to the spot. Residents of Tisgaon, MIDC Waluj police and fire brigade personnel joined the rescue effort.For nearly three hours, his mother continued talking to him, urging him to return to safety. Villagers too tried different ways to persuade him.Tisgaon sarpanch Sanjay Jadhav, who was present at the scene, said, “We kept telling him to think of his mother and not take the step.” In an attempt to keep him engaged, Jadhav even offered to give him an iPhone. But Kunal appeared determined. According to Jadhav, the youth said, “There is no solution now. There is only one solution.”As the tense standoff stretched on, Murlidhar crept towards his son during the final minutes, hoping to pull him to safety. Witnesses said just as he moved closer, Kunal suddenly jumped. “We thought the father would keep Kunal talking and bring him back. However, when he tried to catch him, both fell,” Jadhav said.Police commissioner Pravin Pawar said, “We are trying to establish the exact sequence of events.”DCP Ratnakar Navale said the family hailed from Dhangar Pimpalgaon village in Jalna district and relatives have taken the bodies to their village. Police recovered the bodies from the difficult terrain and sent them for postmortem. Investigators are recording statements.
