A newly surfaced video has captured a heartbreaking conversation in which several people can be heard desperately trying to persuade 19-year-old Kunal Chandgude to step away from the edge of a hill moments before he jumped to his death in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district on Friday.
In the video, people around the teenager repeatedly urge him to move away from the edge and get to a safer spot. At one point, a person whose face is not visible tells him, “If an iPhone is what you need, then take it.” Another person quickly joins the conversation and says, “It’s iPhone 15 Pro.”
Despite the attempts to calm him down, the boy appears adamant about taking the extreme step. He is heard saying that suicide is the only solution and that there is no other way out.
A woman, believed to be his mother, then responds that ending his life is not the answer. Another man also attempts to reason with him, telling him that taking such a step would not solve anything and urging him to reconsider his decision.
The video shows the desperate efforts of those present to prevent the teenager from moving any closer to the edge. Their attempts, however, were ultimately unsuccessful.
According to police, the teenager was identified as Kunal Chandgude, 19. He had reportedly gone to a hill in the Tisgaon area under Waluj MIDC around 10 am following an argument with his parents over his demand for a mobile phone.
Police and villagers subsequently tried to persuade Kunal to abandon the attempt. The fire brigade was also called to the spot, with rescuers attempting to place a safety net below the hill. However, the teenager reportedly kept changing his position.
When Kunal eventually jumped, his father tried to follow him in an apparent attempt to save or stop him and also fell to his death. His mother, who witnessed the incident, subsequently jumped from the hill and died as well, police said.
The bodies were recovered and sent for further formalities. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The video has brought into focus the moments of desperation before the tragedy, with those around the teenager repeatedly trying to convince him that the dispute over a mobile phone could be resolved and that taking his own life was not the solution.
