Confident Group chairman C J Roy dies by suicide after tax raids

Confident Group chairman CJ Roy died by suicide on Friday (January 30) after shooting himself at his Bengaluru office during an ongoing Income Tax raid, police said. The incident occurred at the company’s office on Langford Road near Richmond Circle in the city. Roy was 57.

'Roy was under stress'

Income Tax officials had been conducting raids at the Confident Group offices since morning on allegations of tax evasion. Similar searches took place multiple times over the past three years. Roy was reportedly under severe stress due to the continued scrutiny and allegedly took the extreme step during the ongoing raid.

According to police, Roy arrived at the office in the afternoon and was questioned by Income Tax officials for nearly an hour. During the questioning, officials sought several documents, some of which he provided. He later went into his office room, saying he would bring additional documents. Shortly after, he allegedly shot himself in the chest.

Income Tax officials rushed him to nearby hospital, but Roy died on the way, police said. Meanwhile, Roy's family has accused Income Tax officials of harassment and they alleged ''the raid continued even after the shoot-out'', according to Malayalam channels.

Another relative, now in Thailand, told a Kannada news channel that the IT investigation team, which had been going on for the past three days, was headed by an Additional Commissioner from Kerala, Krishna Prasad. He said he did not know what specific problems Roy had or why the officers were questioning him about during the investigation.

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Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh has constituted a special investigation team. According to Singh, Income Tax (IT) department officials were at the spot for the last 2-3 days conducting inspections and inquiries. ''Our police officials are in touch with the IT team. As per information, it is being said that this is an IT team from Kerala,'' he added.

Police will record statements from the Income Tax officials involved in the raid, sources said. Ashok Nagar police registered a case, and Deputy Commissioner of Police Akshay personally supervised the investigation. The pistol used in the incident has been seized.

Police are examining CCTV footage from the office and probing all angles, including whether a death note was left, whether any message was found on Roy’s mobile phone, or if he contacted anyone before the incident.

Following the incident, Income Tax officials suspended the raid and left the premises, sources said. Around 10 officials who had arrived in two cars in the morning returned without completing the operation.

The Confident Group has previously faced Income Tax scrutiny and has been involved in prolonged tax disputes, including assessment and appeal matters before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal and the Karnataka High Court. The Confident Group is a prominent real estate developer with operations in Bengaluru and several southern states, including Kerala. The company has undertaken residential and commercial projects across the region.

Links to Malayalam film industry

Roy, a native of Kochi in Kerala, was also associated with the Malayalam film industry. He produced films, including the 2012 Mohanlal-starrer Casanova. The Confident Group also served as the title sponsor for several seasons of the television reality show Bigg Boss Malayalam.

(Suicides can be prevented. For help, please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)