BENGALURU: Confident Group chairman C J Roy was found dead at his office in Langford Town here on Friday after sustaining a gunshot injury. The 57-year-old real estate tycoon allegedly shot himself on the left side of his chest using his pistol between 3pm and 3.10pm.
The weapon is believed to be licensed, though this is still under verification.According to preliminary information, a team of Income Tax (I-T) officials from Kochi, Kerala, working with their Bengaluru counterparts, had been conducting searches at the Confident Group office here for the past three days. It was described as a continuation of a larger raid carried out last month, during which I-T officials scrutinised and seized certain documents.
- 12 noon | I-T officers arrive at Confident Group’s office in Bengaluru
- 2 pm | CJ Roy walks into office
- 2–3 pm | Officials ask him to sign, review certain documents
- 3 pm | Roy goes into his private cabin
- 3–3.10 pm | Takes out pistol, shoots himself in the chest, collapses
- 3.10–4 pm | Employees and officials rush Roy in ambulance to hospital in HSR Layout. Declared dead on arrival
On Friday, the I-T department team arrived at Roy’s office around 12 pm. Police sources said Roy reached the premises around 2 pm. While he was initially told that he was free to leave, the I-T officials later advised him to stay back to sign and review certain documents.
Around 3 pm, Roy reportedly told the I-T officials that he had some documents in his cabin and went inside. Minutes later, a gunshot was heard. Police did not confirm whether the cabin was under CCTV surveillance.
Roy kept briefcase with pistol & docus always close to him: Source
Police quoted I-T officials as saying: “Roy was not restricted from doing his regular work today, as we were only conducting scrutiny to lift prohibitory orders against his firm.” Roy’s wife and two children — a son and a daughter, both in their early 20s — are based in Dubai and are expected to reach Bengaluru early on Saturday. While Roy’s mother lives near Nexus mall in Koramangala, an aide said he rarely stayed with her.
He usually opted for five-star hotels in the central business district during his visits to Bengaluru. “While there is one bullet wound on Roy’s body, we need to investigate further to ascertain how many rounds he might have fired,” police said.A senior investigating officer said immediately after the shot was heard, “employees and officials raised an alarm, and Roy was rushed to Narayana Hospital in HSR Layout, where doctors declared him dead on arrival”.A close aide told TOI that Roy always kept his briefcase close to him, as it contained his pistol. “On rare occasions when he left it behind, he would immediately send his bodyguards to fetch it,” the aide added.City police commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said, “While we know it was a hand-held weapon, its exact make and calibre need to be confirmed by the ballistics team, which is conducting its probe.”A formal case was registered based on a complaint by T A Joseph, founding-director and MD of the Confident Group.
An investigating officer confirmed that the complaint did not make any allegations against the I-T officials. “We, therefore, registered a case of unnatural death. We may file a separate FIR in case if the family members make any fresh allegations,” the officer said.“In all these years of working with Roy, he never came across as weak-hearted. His death comes as a shock,” an aide said.'I-T officials are solely responsible for his death'Roy’s brother, CJ Babu, who owns WhiteGold, told reporters that Income Tax officials from Kerala had been carrying out searches in Bengaluru for the last three days. Alleging official pressure, Babu claimed Roy died by suicide using a pistol and held the I-T team responsible for his death. He said that although Roy’s family lives in Dubai, Roy had come back to Bengaluru after being directed by I-T officials to remain present in the city. The family is likely to reach Bengaluru early on Saturday.
