CJ Roy, founder and chairman of the Dubai-based Confident Group, was in his hometown Bengaluruon a business trip when Income Tax officials raided his office headquarters. He reached the premises on the third day of raids – allegedly committing suicide soon after interacting with the I-T officials. Mystery continues to shroud the moments before his death and it remains unclear whether Roy had been summoned by the IT officials.
Brother’s last call with Roy
His brother, Babu CJ, told reporters that when he spoke to Roy around 11 am on Friday, Roy was in his office and “sounded normal”.
“IT sleuths came to my house as well on January 22 and asked for a lot of documents, which I gave. But the raids put my brother under stress. But when I spoke to him at 11 am, Friday morning, he sounded normal. I don’t know what they asked him and what pushed him over the brink,” Babu told The Hindu.
According to the preliminary probe, IT officials questioned Roy in the afternoon. After this, he reportedly sought permission to make a phone call and speak to his mother. She lives in Koramangala, where Roy was constructing a bungalow for himself, the news outlet reported citing a senior police officer involved in the investigation.
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Roy then went into an adjoining room in the office, which he usually used while functioning as the Honorary Consul for the Slovak Republic for Karnataka and Kerala. Minutes later, people in the office heard a gunshot, sources told the news outlet. Roy had shot himself in the chest with a pistol and was found lying in a pool of blood.
Family points to IT dept pressure
Roy’s brother, Babu, said that his brother shared everything with him and that they spoke every day. “There were no problems in the business. There was pressure from the Income Tax raids, which may have pushed him to take the extreme step,” Roy added.
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Police officials said there is still no clarity on how many rounds were fired or whether the firearm was licensed. The weapon will be sent for ballistic examination and only that report will provide more details. However, his brother Mr. Babu said that Roy had bought the pistol 20 years ago for self-protection and that it was licensed.
DK Shivakumar orders high-level probe
On the death of Roy, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the businessman allegedly shot himself after seeking a brief break while being questioned by IT officials.
“When they (IT officials) were asking him a lot of questions, he is said to have asked for five minutes of time, gone inside, and did this (shot himself). So we will do a high-level investigation and bring out the truth,” Shivakumar told reporters.
VIDEO | On the death of Confident Group's chairman CJ Roy, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) said,
"When they (IT officials) were asking him a lot of questions, he is said to have asked for five minutes of time, gone inside, and did this (shot… pic.twitter.com/aLAAvIoJz6
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 30, 2026
Adding to it he mentioned that, “We have learnt that a team from Kerala came here, and the investigation will reveal further details. This shouldn’t have happened; he was a good businessman. We have also been asked for a report from Delhi. Our government will let the people know the truth after doing a detailed investigation.” |
