‘Said He Would Call Family, Then Shot Himself’: Police On Confident Group Chairman CJ Roy’s Death

Confident Group founder and chairman CJ Roy was found dead at his residence in central Bengaluru on Friday while Income Tax officials were conducting searches linked to his company, police officials said. Investigators are treating the case as a suspected suicide at this stage, while emphasising that a detailed probe is still underway.

What police say happened inside the house

According to officers familiar with the investigation, Roy was inside his first-floor office chamber when the incident took place. Income Tax officials had been questioning him as part of searches connected to the company.

One senior officer said the searches had been ongoing for three days and Roy was questioned between 12 pm and 1 pm on Friday. "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," the officer said.

People present at the premises told police that they heard a gunshot and rushed inside. The 57-year-old, who sustained bullet injuries at his Langford Town bungalow, was taken to a private hospital and later shifted to Narayana Hospital, where he was declared dead, deputy commissioner of police (Central) Akshay Hakay said.

Forensic teams and ballistic experts on site

Police confirmed that the pistol suspected to have been used has been seized and CCTV footage from the property is being examined. Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh visited the spot later in the day and said a case has been registered at Ashok Nagar police station based on a complaint filed by an executive of Roy's company.

"Prima facie, it appears that industrialist CJ Roy has shot himself. The body has been shifted to Narayana Hospital in HSR Layout. The SOCO team, ballistic experts, and other officials have arrived at the scene and are investigating," Singh said.

He added that it was too early to categorise the case conclusively. "Charges will be framed based on the complaint. Ballistic experts will ascertain details regarding the weapon," Singh said when asked whether abetment could be examined.

Income Tax searches and ongoing probe

On the presence of tax officials during the incident, the commissioner said the team had arrived from Kerala and that limited details were available at present. "Our immediate focus is on the crime and gathering all relevant information," he said.

Police said the Income Tax department was carrying out coordinated searches at several locations linked to Confident Group, a major luxury housing developer with operations in Bengaluru and Kerala. The company has faced tax disputes and appeals before the Karnataka High Court and the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.

Officers said tax officials present during the searches were allowed to leave after preliminary questioning. Officials from the Income Tax office in Kochi did not respond to calls seeking comment.

Film industry connections

Originally from Kochi, Roy also had links with the Malayalam film industry. He produced films including the 2012 Mohanlal-starrer Casanova.

The Confident Group was also the title sponsor for multiple seasons of the television reality show Bigg Boss Malayalam, hosted by Mohanlal.