{
  "id": 3058600,
  "title": "‘Stop Spreading Rumours’: Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Hill Tragedy Victim’s Relative Dismisses iPhone EMI Narrative",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/stop-spreading-rumours-chhatrapati-sambhajinagar-hill-tragedy-victims",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T15:39:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/stop-spreading-rumours-chhatrapati-sambhajinagar-hill-tragedy-victims-relative-dismisses-iphone-emi-narrative"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the tragic incident at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on August 21, a family of three lost their lives, which initially was connected to an iPhone purchased on EMI. However, the relative of the deceased family has dismissed this claim as a rumor, asserting that the financial issue was not the sole reason behind the incident. The relative, Pallavi Patil, clarified that the family's suffering was the real trigger. According to the report, Kunal Chandgude, an 18-year-old, had purchased an Apple iPhone on EMI, but was struggling to pay the monthly installments. He allegedly threatened to commit suicide and fell into a 250-foot-deep gorge along with his father, Murlidhar Chandgude, and his mother, Sangita Chandgude. Patil, who was returning from collecting the ashes of the family members, vehemently rejected the iPhone narrative as a rumor and emphasized that they were unaware of the actual circumstances leading to the deaths. She expressed immense pain over the false narrative spreading on social media, stating that it was causing immense suffering for her family. The police are currently examining the videos posted by Sangita on YouTube, where she allegedly spoke about a strained relationship and property disputes. The investigation is ongoing, and the iPhone EMI remains just one of the reported factors, not the established cause of the fatal incident.",
  "summary": "The death of a family of three in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on August 21 was initially linked to an iPhone purchased on EMI, but a relative of the family has dismissed the claim as a “rumour”, saying the financial issue was not the sole trigger behind the incident. According to the initial narrative, 18-year-old Kunal Chandgude had purchased an Apple iPhone on EMI but was reportedly…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}