‘You don’t know what actually happened’: After Maharashtra cliff tragedy, aunt rejects iPhone claim | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar News

The aunt of a deceased teenager has released an emotional video pleading for an end to unverified claims

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: The aunt of 18-year-old Kunal Chandgude, whose death along with his parents at Khavdya Dongar last Friday shook the country, has released an emotional video urging people to stop spreading unverified claims about the family.Pallavi Patil, sister of Kunal’s mother Sangeeta, said videos claiming that Kunal forced his parents to die by suicide because he did not get an iPhone were circulating widely on social media.“Why are you spreading lies without any information?” Patil asked in the video, saying people who did not know the family or the circumstances surrounding the tragedy were making videos only for views and likes.“Sangita was my elder sister, Kunal was my nephew and Murlidhar was my brother-in-law. Only we know what a mountain has fallen on our family after losing these three,” she said.Patil said she came across the videos while returning after collecting the ashes of her sister, nephew and brother-in-law.“Today, while we were going to collect their ashes, videos were coming one after another on our mobile. Seeing them, our hearts sank,” she said.She said the family was already struggling to come to terms with the deaths and that the social media posts had added to their distress.“You don’t know us, you don’t know the real background or the truth of the incident. Yet you are spreading false information just to get views,” she said, adding that the claims were causing immense pain to her elderly parents.“We were four sisters. Today, with the passing of our elder sister, we three sisters have been left shattered. The Chandgude family has completely ended and our lives have become difficult. We don’t know how to recover from this trauma,” Patil said.She appealed to social media users and digital creators to think about the family left behind before posting videos about the deceased.“Before writing anything or making a video about Kunal, my sister and brother-in-law, one should think a little,” she said.She added,” My father witnessed the death of his first child. This is a very difficult and heartbreaking moment for our family.”The video comes amid conflicting narratives surrounding the deaths of Kunal, his father Murlidhar and mother Sangeeta, who fell from the Khavdya Dongar cliff in the Waluj area on Friday.Police had initially examined claims that an unfulfilled demand for an iPhone may have prompted Kunal to reach the cliff. However, preliminary investigation has indicated that the family was facing deeper and longstanding differences.DCP (Zone-I) Pankaj Atulkar told TOI that the preliminary probe indicated the tragedy was the result of a family dispute and “some serious differences within”.Police have also found that Kunal had gone to the same cliff in 2025 after his demand for an iPhone was not fulfilled and had threatened to die by suicide. He was counselled by police and reunited with his parents at the time.Constable Suresh Bhise, who was among the policemen who reached the spot this time, said: “Last year he reached the cliff and threatened to commit suicide as his demand for an iPhone was not fulfilled. We counselled him… This year there was something else.”Investigators are also verifying whether the iPhones used by Kunal and Sangeeta were bought on EMI and whether there were any issues over repayment.Police are examining other possible factors behind the tragedy, including strained family relationships. Investigators have also found videos posted by Sangeeta on social media that indicate turmoil in her personal life.The family had lost their elder son, Kapil, to an illness about a decade ago. Kunal, who was their only surviving son, was preparing for NEET and had scored more than 90% in his Class X board examinations, police said.