Confident Group founder C J Roy shoots self dead in Bengaluru during IT raid

Bengaluru: The founder and chairman of realty firm Confident Group, Roy Chiriankandath Joseph, was found dead at his office in Bengaluru on Friday.

Police suspect Roy, 57, a native of Kochi in Kerala, shot himself, likely with a pistol, even as an inspection by the Income Tax (I-T) department’s officials from Kerala was underway at his office in Langford Town near Richmond Circle. Popularly known as CJ Roy, he is survived by his wife and two children.

Senior officers said the incident occurred between 3 pm and 3.15 pm at Roy’s office.

“When a gunshot was heard, the staff rushed inside the chairman’s room and found Roy lying in a pool of blood. It is too early to comment if the firearm used was his or whether it was licensed or not, as ballistics experts were yet to conclude their inquiry,” highly placed sources told DH, adding that an autopsy will be conducted on Saturday.

The sources further said the I-T team had landed in Bengaluru from Kochi. The tax sleuths had quizzed him Thursday and they were planning to question him again at 3 pm on Friday.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said the I-T department had been conducting searches and inquiries for the last two to three days.

“Initial reports say that Roy shot himself, but it is subject to further investigation. A case is being registered at the Ashok Nagar police station. The body was immediately shifted in an ambulance to a hospital, where he was declared dead. Scene of crime (SOCO) officers and ballistic teams are at the spot for an investigation,” Singh said.

“The police are in touch with the family members who will reach by flight, as they are not in India. Once they arrive, further details will be known. As of now, it looks like a case of self-shooting. Till all the angles are inquired into, further details cannot be shared. Based on the complaint, the relevant case will be taken up. We are yet to question and inquire with the IT officers to get further details.”

Senior officers, including Singh, Joint Commissioner of Police (West) C Vamsi Krishna, and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Akshay M Hakay, were at the spot.

Sources close to the probe said the I-T searches were a continuation of the searches that the department had done in December in both Cochin and Bengaluru. “It is learnt that I-T officials were on the premises but not inside the room when Roy shot himself,” they said.

The website of Confident Group has a message that sums up its scale of projects in Bengaluru, Kerala and in different parts of the world. On Friday evening, the website briefly showed an error, likely due to increased traffic.

“We are a 19-year-old conglomerate with multiple business activities spread across India, the UAE and the USA. We also have the pride of designing and delivering multiple well-appreciated real-estate projects and products across Bangalore, Kerala and Dubai. We are proud to say that none of our gigantic portfolio of 159 projects has been stalled due to any reasons from the organisation, or property titles, or governmental issues. We have also achieved CRISIL 7 Star rating for a few of our projects, which makes us more unique,” a statement from the firm reads.