Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Three members of a family died on Friday afternoon in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after a domestic dispute over a mobile phone escalated into a series of fatal falls from a hilltop in the Tisgaon area, under the jurisdiction of Waluj MIDC. The deceased have been identified as 48-year-old Murlidhar Chandgude, his wife Sangita, and their 19-year-old son Kunal, all residents of the city’s Zalta Phata neighbourhood.
According to police officials, the sequence of events began around 10:00 a.m. following an argument between Kunal and his parents over his demand for a new mobile phone. Distressed by the confrontation, the teenager climbed a nearby hill, prompting his parents to follow him in an effort to reason with him and persuade him to return home safely.
Local villagers, police personnel, and fire brigade rescue teams soon assembled at the location to assist in the rescue operation. Emergency personnel attempted to position a safety net at the base of the steep slope, but their efforts were hindered as the youth continually shifted his position along the edge of the cliff.
The hours-long standoff ended in disaster around 1:00 p.m. when Murlidhar stepped forward to console his son. As the teenager jumped from the precipice, the father made a desperate grab to pull him back, causing both to lose their balance and fall down the cliffside. Moments later, witnessing the fatal fall of her husband and son, Sangita also leapt from the hilltop. Police subsequently recovered all three bodies and sent them for formal post-mortem procedures.
