Not an iPhone tragedy after all? Behind mystery of Maharashtra family that fell from cliff

Initial police reports variously said the son, Kunal Chandgude, wanted the device, or had bought one and needed his father, Murlidhar Chandgude - the family's only earning member - to pay the EMIs.

Written by: Manoj Dattatrye More, Chandrashekar Srinivasan

5 min readPuneUpdated: Aug 26, 2026 11:41 AM IST

Kunal arrived first and his parents rushed to him after being told he had threatened to die by suicide. (Special Arrangement, enhanced with AI)

In the hours after three members of the Chandgude family fell off a cliff in Maharashtra‘s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the story that was told was of an iPhone and an argument.

Initial police reports variously said the son, Kunal Chandgude, wanted the device, or had bought one and needed his father, Murlidhar Chandgude – the family’s only earning member – to pay the EMIs. And that reportedly put pressure on the household budget.

But later police reports said the family already had several mobile phones, and the investigation then moved to other lines of inquiry, including broader family tensions.

And the latest report seems to have significantly weakened the phone theory.

Assistant Police Inspector Naresh Thakre, the Investigating Officer, told The Indian Express: “An iPhone is not the reason for the death of the three… as is speculated. There was some dispute between the couple that seems to have led to the incident.”

Also Read | Fight over phone wipes out family; Maharashtra teen, parents fall from cliff

Thakre also told the Express Sangita Chandgude had expressed reservations about her husband visiting his family. “The couple lived apart for 10-15 years but, in the past three months, he began visiting his parents’ home… that did not go down well with his wife.”

No family member has come forward to lodge a complaint so far, he also said.

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What happened on the hill?

Sometime around 10 am on August 21, the Chandgudes were at Khawadya Hill near Tisgaon. Kunal arrived first and his parents rushed to him after being told he had threatened to die by suicide. They gathered atop a cliff that reports have said is between 200 and 250 feet high. And there Kunal stood for three hours.

His parents pleaded with him. Those around pleaded with him. The police pleaded with him. In one video of the stand-off, at one point he waves his arms in frustration as he speaks to someone off-camera.

One report quoted him as expressing helplessness.

At 1 pm the situation escalated.

Video footage from the site showed Murlidhar Chandgude trying to pull his son back. The footage seems to show Kunal stepping back, losing balance and clutching at his father to stop from falling. It was over in seconds; off-balance, Kunal fell and his father, also off-balance, fell with him. Police said Sangita Chandgude then also jumped.

The deaths and the early narrative – the phone and the EMI – seemed to put a full stop to the whole story.

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Screengrab from an eyewitness video of the moment Kunal Chandgude and his father, Murlidhar Chandgude fell

But days later grieving family members lashed out at these narratives.

The family challenges the narrative

A video message by Pallavi Patil, Kunal’s aunt, rejected the public narrative.

“You know nothing about our family… nothing about our Kunal,” she says.

And then Sangita Chandgude’s social media account was spotted and on it one video drew a great deal of attention.

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“You took away my son and my son’s rights over property. You poisoned my family. You separated my son from his parents… (for) this sin your next seven generations will suffer. This is my curse,” she reportedly said in one video.

In another she spoke of the need to nurture relationships and how that responsibility falls on both sides of the fence. ‘A roti,’ she said, ‘is only delicious if both sides are cooked.’

It is still unclear who Sangita Chandgude was referring to, though it has been suggested that a family dispute may have formed part of the background to the tragedy.

Meanwhile, another showed Kunal washing his mother’s feet, a smile on her face.

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In public, these videos have been seen as counter-evidence, moments fracturing the first public narratives in this story – of a phone, an argument, and a family in collapse.

But while they do give pause and complicate the caricature of a son at war with his parents over an iPhone, they are not factual windows into the crisis. They show affection but can’t establish motive, attribute responsibility or establish the sequence of events.

What remains unresolved

And so the question – ‘what happened to the Chandgudes’ – is unanswered, for now.

The current line of police investigation attributes a dispute between Murlidhar and Sangita as the key line of inquiry. And as for the iPhone theory, it now seems to be just that – disputed by the family and contradicted by the investigation’s current focus.

Manoj Dattatrye More

Manoj Dattatrye More is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, having been with the publication since 1992. Based in Pune, he is a veteran journalist with a 33-year career that spans editorial desk work, investigative reporting, and political analysis. Professional Legacy Experience: He spent his first 16 years on the editorial desk before moving into active field reporting. He has written over 20,000 stories, including more than 10,000 bylined articles. Impact Journalism: He is widely respected for "campaign-style" reporting that leads to tangible social change. Road Safety: His decade-long campaign regarding the dangerous state of the Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki resulted in a ₹23 crore reconstruction project in 2006, which dramatically reduced fatalities. Environmental Protection: His reports against tree cutting on the Pune-Mumbai and Pune-Nashik highways saved approximately 2,000 trees. Anti-Corruption: During the COVID-19 pandemic, he exposed a scam where doctors were being asked to pay bribes for government jobs, resulting in them being hired without payment. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Manoj More's recent work focuses heavily on the shifting political landscape of Maharashtra and civic governance in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area: 1. Political Shifts & Alliances "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): A major report on the local self-government election results, detailing the NCP’s stronghold in Baramati, Indapur, and Lonavala. "BJP ropes in 13 ex-corporators, deals major blow to NCP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant political defection in Pimpri-Chinchwad as the BJP gears up for civic polls. "Congress opts for solo BMC run as alliance talks with Sena (UBT) collapse" (Dec 17, 2025): Covering the breakdown of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) talks for the Mumbai civic elections. "NCP(SP)'s Rahul Kalate, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjog Waghere set to join BJP" (Dec 19, 2025): Detailing high-profile party-hopping ahead of the municipal elections. 2. Civic & Administrative Accountability "PCMC draws ire for issuing tenders worth Rs 250 crore just before poll code" (Dec 17, 2025): An investigative piece on the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s last-minute spending spree before election restrictions. "93 killed in 76 accidents in five years: Bypass service roads in Pune remain undeveloped for 18 yrs" (Nov 16, 2025): A critical look at the long-delayed infrastructure projects contributing to fatalities on Pune’s bypass roads. 3. Social & Labor Issues "As state says TCS has laid off 376 employees: FITE flags figures, say nearly 2,500 were forced to quit" (Dec 11, 2025): Investigating conflicting reports regarding IT sector layoffs in Maharashtra. "Maharashtra govt move to 'downgrade' Aadhaar cards" (Nov 30, 2025): Reporting on the state’s decision to require additional documents alongside Aadhaar to combat identity misuse. Signature Beat Manoj More is the definitive voice on Pimpri-Chinchwad, an industrial hub he has covered for three decades. His reporting is characterized by its aggressive stance against local "gondaism" (thuggery) and a relentless focus on civic infrastructure—choked drains, garbage management, and public transport. X (Twitter): @manojmore91982 ... Read More

Chandrashekar Srinivasan

Chandrashekar is a senior editor with over 17 years of experience in reporting, writing, editing, and curating digital news content. He has worked with leading media organisations, including NDTV and Hindustan Times, handling high-impact coverage across politics, international affairs, conflict, and public policy. Over the years, he has written and edited news reports, explainers, analyses, profiles and opinion pieces for diverse audiences, focusing on breaking news, political forces shaping India and the world, economic policy, and global security. He has also helped shape editorial guidelines and train junior writers and editors. His expertise includes headline writing, search and audience optimisation, content packaging, and developing editorial standards for fast-changing news environments. His approach to journalism is rooted in accuracy, context and the belief good analysis should help readers what happened and why it matters. ... Read More

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