When a family tragedy unfolds in public, the first explanation can quickly become the story everyone remembers.
That happened after three members of the Chandgude family died following a fall from Khawadya Hill in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district on 21 August.
Early reports linked the incident to an argument over an iPhone and its EMIs. But the police investigation later pointed towards deeper family tensions. Relatives also challenged the phone-related explanation.
So, what actually happened on the hill, who died and what do investigators know so far?
Who Were The Three People Who Died?
The deceased were:
Kunal Chandgude, 19, a student
Murlidhar Chandgude, 48, Kunal’s father
Sangita Chandgude, Kunal’s mother
Kunal was reportedly preparing to pursue medicine. India Today reported that relatives described him as a bright student who scored 82% in his Class 10 CBSE examination and wanted to study MBBS.
Murlidhar worked as a driver and had been employed with a transport company for around a decade, according to his colleagues.
The family had been living in a rented house in the Zalta Phata area.
What Happened At Khawadya Hill?
The incident unfolded on the morning of 21 August.
Kunal left home at around 8 am. When he did not reach his institute, his mother was contacted. His location was eventually traced to Khawadya Hill near Tisgaon. Villagers alerted the police at around 10:45 am, according to India Today’s reconstruction of the events.
Kunal was reportedly standing near the edge of a cliff and threatening to die by suicide.
Police officers, family members and fire brigade personnel spent hours trying to persuade him to come down.
A safety net was also placed below as a precaution.
At one point, Murlidhar approached his son and tried to hold his hand. Police and fire officials said the two lost their balance and fell from the cliff.
Sangita then also fell from the hill. Police said she jumped after seeing her husband and son fall.
The three bodies were later taken to Ghati Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
What Is The iPhone Angle?
The first reports focused heavily on an iPhone.
Initial police accounts suggested that Kunal either wanted an iPhone or had already bought one and needed his father, the family’s main earning member, to pay the EMIs.
That explanation quickly spread online.
But subsequent police inquiries complicated the picture.
The Indian Express reported that police later said the family already had several mobile phones. Assistant Police Inspector Naresh Thakre, the investigating officer, said an iPhone was not the reason for the deaths and that investigators were looking at a dispute between the couple.
That distinction matters. The iPhone theory appeared in early reporting, but investigators had not established it as the confirmed motive.
What Was The Family Dispute?
Police were examining tensions between Murlidhar and Sangita.
According to the investigating officer, the couple had reportedly lived separately for around 10 to 15 years. Murlidhar had started visiting the family home more frequently in the previous three months, which Sangita had reportedly objected to.
Kunal’s maternal relatives gave another account.
They said he wanted his parents to reconcile and believed their differences had affected the family. They also referred to property-related tensions.
Sangita had also posted videos on social media before her death in which she spoke about family relationships and alleged harassment by relatives. However, those videos do not by themselves establish the motive or prove the allegations she raised.
The family accounts themselves were not completely consistent. Murlidhar’s sister also described long-running differences between the couple.
There Was A Previous Warning Sign
One of the most significant details to emerge later was that Kunal had reportedly attempted suicide from the same hill the previous year.
Police officers Suresh Bhise and Jayesh Salunkhe had then persuaded him to step away from the cliff and brought him down safely.
That earlier incident has added another layer to the current investigation.
It suggests that the circumstances leading to Kunal reaching the cliff may have involved distress that cannot be explained simply by a dispute over a phone.
What Is The Police Action?
Police have continued to investigate the circumstances leading up to the deaths.
The focus has shifted from the initial iPhone explanation towards the family’s internal disputes and Kunal’s state of mind before he reached the hill.
Investigators have also examined videos posted by Sangita, spoken to relatives and reconstructed the rescue attempt using accounts from police, firefighters and people at the site.
As of the latest reports available on 27 August, no family member had come forward to lodge a complaint, according to the investigating officer.
There is therefore no confirmed finding that a particular person caused the deaths or that the iPhone was the established trigger.
What Happens Next?
The next step is to establish what led Kunal to the hill that morning and what happened during the hours before the fatal fall.
Police will need to reconcile the different accounts from both sides of the family, examine the digital material and other evidence, and determine whether any criminal wrongdoing took place.
For now, the safest conclusion is also the simplest one: three members of one family died in a tragic incident, but the exact reason behind it remains under investigation.
The iPhone may have been part of the initial account, but current police findings do not support treating it as the established cause.
TL;DR | News At a Glance
What happened to the Chandgude family?
Kunal Chandgude and his parents, Murlidhar and Sangita, died after falling from Khawadya Hill in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on 21 August.
Was the tragedy caused by an iPhone dispute?
Early reports linked it to an iPhone and EMI payments, but police later said the phone was not the reason for the deaths.
What are police investigating now?
Investigators are examining family tensions, including reported differences between Kunal’s parents, and the circumstances that led him to the hill.
Did Kunal have a previous suicide attempt?
Yes. Police said he had attempted suicide at the same hill the previous year and was persuaded to return safely.
What happens next?
Police are continuing to reconstruct the events and examine family accounts, videos and other evidence before reaching conclusions about the motive or any possible legal responsibility.
