Man, 19, in India falls off cliff with parents, their family denies deaths caused by iPhone dispute

On August 21, a 19-year-old man, Kunal, and his parents tragically fell off a cliff in India, sparking rumors that a dispute over an iPhone was the cause of their deaths. However, family members are now denying that the incident was sparked by a quarrel over the purchase of an iPhone.

An earlier report by NDTV suggested that the teenager had asked his parents to pay for a new iPhone, but his request was denied. This led him to climb a cliff in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, where he threatened to throw himself off at around 10 am. A three-hour standoff reportedly ensued between Kunal and locals, who tried to dissuade him by urging him to "live for your mother." Police and fire department personnel were present at the scene.

Kunal's father attempted to pull his son back, but was dragged down with him. The teen's mother, aged 42, then jumped to her death after them. Clips of the incident have since gone viral, depicting the exchange between Kunal, his parents, and other residents.

Kunal's aunt has repeatedly rejected speculation that an iPhone was the root cause of the tragedy, claiming that online commenters "don't know what actually happened." She stated, "Why are you spreading lies without any information? Only we know what a mountain has fallen on our family after losing these three."

Further investigations revealed that Kunal had previously threatened suicide at the same cliff in 2025 after his demand for an iPhone was not met. He was counseled by the police, but according to one officer, "this year there was something else." The dispute between Kunal's parents had been ongoing, strained by his mother's unhappiness over her husband's visits to their family.

Kunal's mother had posted a seemingly cryptic video about relationships on YouTube just a day before her death. In the video, she said, "If a person does not value you, does not value your love, or does not value what you do for them, then there is no point in doing anything for such a person." She had also been living separately from her husband since her elder son's death six years ago from an illness.