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Confident Group chairman CJ Roy found dead in Bengaluru, suicide suspected
C.J. Roy, chairman of the Confident Group, was found with bullet injuries at his bungalow in Langford Town, said deputy commissioner of police Akshay Hakay.
BENGALURU: Confident Group founder and chairman CJ Roy was found dead on Friday at his residence in central Bengaluru while Income-Tax authorities were conducting raids on premises linked to his firm, police said, adding that they suspect it to be a case of suicide.
The 57-year-old real estate tycoon was found with bullet injuries by Income-Tax officials at his bungalow in Langford Town.
He was rushed to a private hospital before being shifted for advanced care to the Narayana Hospital in HSR Layout, where he was declared dead, said deputy commissioner of police (Central) Akshay Hakay.
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Bengaluru police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, who later visited the scene, said a case has been registered at Ashok Nagar police station on the basis of a complaint filed by an executive at Roy’s firm. “Prima facie, it appears that industrialist CJ Roy has shot himself. The body has been shifted to Narayana Hospital in HSR Layout. The SOCO (Scene of Crime Officer) team, ballistic experts, and other officials have arrived at the scene and are investigating,” he said.
Bengaluru City Police said tax authorities were conducting coordinated searches at multiple locations connected to the Confident Group, a major developer in the luxury housing markets of Bengaluru and Kerala.The company has been involved in tax disputes and appeals before the Karnataka high court and the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.
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According to the commissioner, the incident took place at around 3.15pm. “According to initial reports, I-T questioning had been taking place at the premises for the past three days, including today (Friday). Roy was questioned today. What exactly transpired during the questioning will be investigated,” he said.
Asked whether the case would be treated as a suicide or whether charges of abetment to suicide might be added, Singh said the matter remained open. “Charges will be framed based on the complaint,” he said.
Officials in the Income Tax office in Kochi did not respond to HT’s calls for a response.
According to officers aware of the details, Roy was allegedly in his first-floor office chamber when the shot was fired. “Searches had been going on for three days. He was questioned in his office around 12-1pm. By 3.15pm, the questioning was over. He said he would make a call to his family and come back. He then went into another room and shot himself,” one of the officers said, requested anonymity.
Confident Group, in a statement on social media platforms, mourned the demise of Roy.
“Our beloved leader has departed from us, but not from the path he showed us...,” it said.
