Introduction
A 30-year-old dance teacher from Delhi was rescued from the Yamuna river on Friday evening after jumping in due to financial stress over unpaid iPhone instalments, police said. The incident comes just days after a family in Maharashtra died in a similar dispute over a mobile phone.
The man, identified as Deepak Kumar by The Times of India, jumped into the river near Bhola Ghat in the Kalindi Kunj area at around 8:30 pm, according to police. Hindustan Times, citing a PTI report, described the incident as a case of stress over financial pressure and the mounting weight of unpaid instalments.
Rescue and counselling
Police personnel on patrol were alerted that a man had jumped into the river. A team reached the spot and informed the flood department, following which a rescue team arrived with a boat. The man was spotted in the river and brought to safety.
Kumar, a resident of Sanjay Colony in Okhla, works as a dance teacher and also takes up gardening work. He lives with his wife and two children, police said. During questioning, he told police that his income had declined over the past few months, making it difficult for him to pay the monthly instalments on his iPhone. The financial pressure had caused him considerable stress, leading to the extreme step, police said.
After the rescue, police counselled Kumar and called his wife and brother-in-law to the police station before sending him home.
Maharashtra tragedy
The Delhi incident comes after a family died in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra on Friday following a domestic dispute over a mobile phone, as reported by Hindustan Times. The deceased were identified as Murlidhar Chandgude (48), his wife Sangita, and their son Kunal (19), according to the report.
The Times of India provided a more detailed account, naming the teen as 18-year-old Kunal Chandwade, who died after jumping from Khavdya Dongar near Tisgaon after his parents allegedly refused to buy him an iPhone. The family names differ between the two reports: The Times of India gives the father as Murlidhar Chandwade, while Hindustan Times lists the family as Chandgude. The age of the son also varies, with one report stating 19 and the other 18.
According to The Times of India, Kunal had reached the hill around 10 am and remained near the edge for nearly three hours as his parents, villagers, police, and fire brigade personnel tried to persuade him to return to safety. Fire brigade teams had deployed safety nets below the steep cliff. Tisgaon sarpanch Sanjay Jadhav was among those trying to persuade Kunal. Jadhav later said they repeatedly asked him to think about his mother and not take the step. He also offered to give Kunal an iPhone in an attempt to keep him engaged.
Kunal eventually jumped as his father moved towards him. Hindustan Times reported that when Murlidhar stepped closer, Kunal leapt; the father tried to save him, both lost control, and Sangita jumped moments later. The Times of India added that police recovered the bodies and sent them for postmortem, and investigators are recording witness statements.
The two incidents highlight the emotional and financial toll that aspirational purchases can have on individuals and families, though authorities have not drawn a direct causal link between the two events.