An aunt of the 18-year-old boy, who died by suicide in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on August 21, has refuted the theory that her nephew took the extreme step due to EMIs of an iPhone he had bought.
The teen's parents had also died in a bid to save him. While threatening to jump off a hill, the teen fell into a 250-foot-deep gorge, followed by his father, who was trying to bring him down. His mother, who witnessed the incident, also fell minutes later. However, the iPhone EMI issue may not be the sole trigger, according to the mother's sister.
In a social media video, the aunt described what her family is going through.
“They were none other than... my elder sister, my sister's son, and my brother-in-law. Only we know the state we are in after losing the three of them today," she said, according to a report by NDTV.
She described the iPhone narrative as a "rumour", claiming that people spreading such tales "know nothing". She urged people to "not spread rumours".
"You have expressed your opinions through these videos, but you know nothing. You don't know us, and you are unaware of the truth behind any of this. And yet you continue to spread a false narrative. Do you realise how much pain these videos are causing my parents?" she asked.
{{/usCountry}}"You have expressed your opinions through these videos, but you know nothing. You don't know us, and you are unaware of the truth behind any of this. And yet you continue to spread a false narrative. Do you realise how much pain these videos are causing my parents?" she asked.
{{/usCountry}}She urged people to think of the family left behind before making any video.
"We are not in a state of mind to figure out how to move forward and how to hold ourselves together... we are unable to cope. Before saying anything, remember, my parents are 75 years old, and they would not be able to bear the shock of such words," she pleaded with folded hands.
Not his first attempt
The incident on Friday was reportedly not the teenager's first suicide bid. He had attempted suicide last year from the same cliff, but was persuaded by the police to drop the idea, NDTV reported. The police are now probing whether the dispute over the iPhone EMI was the only trigger behind the teenager's extreme step, Times of India reported.
HT could not independently verify the information.
Also Read | Maharashtra boy threatens to jump over 'iPhone', parents chase to save. All 3 fall to death
What do we know?
The 19-year-old allegedly went up the hill at around 10 am after an argument with his parents over his demand for a new mobile phone, news agency PTI reported. The teenager had threatened suicide, prompting his parents, other villagers and police personnel to spend nearly three hours persuading him to give up the bid, according to NDTV.
The boy had allegedly bought an iPhone and had been asking his family for money to pay the EMIs, police said. This led to a heated argument with his father over the latest payment.
Videos of the incident and the prolonged standoff taken by tourists and locals at the site surfaced on social media.
Also Read | ‘Maa ke liye jee lo’: Sarpanch's emotional plea fails as teen, his parents fall to death amid phone row
Fire service personnel spread a safety net, father tried to reason with the teen
When the teenager was near the edge, police and fire brigade personnel arrived at the scene and tried to bring him to safety. Fire service personnel also tried to spread a safety net at the base of the hill, but the boy kept moving along the cliff edge, making the rescue effort difficult.
The teenager's father also climbed up the hill after initially trying to reason with his son from below. During the last 15-20 minutes of the ordeal, the father went up the hill. He moved closer to his son at around 1 pm and attempted to grab him as he backed off towards the edge. However, both father and son died during the attempt.
The teenager's mother, who had witnessed the incident, also fell moments later. The bodies were recovered by the police and sent for further formalities.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.
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