C.J. Roy, founder and chairman of real estate firm Confident Group, was found dead at his office in central Bengaluru on Friday evening, police officials said. Authorities suspect the death to be a case of suicide, though they stressed that the final cause will be confirmed only after the post-mortem examination and completion of the investigation.
The incident occurred within the limits of Ashok Nagar police station, near Richmond Circle, a prominent commercial area in the city. According to Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, Roy sustained bullet injuries from his licensed firearm inside his office.
“An incident occurred today within the limits of Ashok Nagar police station, where the chairman of the Confident Group shot himself. The Scene of Crime Officer team and the Forensic Science Laboratory team are investigating the matter,” Singh told news agency ANI. He added that Roy was immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Police officials said staff members heard a gunshot and rushed to Roy’s room, where they found him lying in a pool of blood. No suicide note has been recovered so far. CCTV footage, forensic evidence, and statements from employees present at the office are being examined to establish the sequence of events.
The incident comes amid ongoing searches by the Income Tax Department at premises linked to Confident Group. Commissioner Singh said IT officials had been conducting searches for the past two to three days. “A team from Kerala had also come. According to preliminary information, an IT raid had been going on for the past two days. There had been raids before as well. We are yet to have the details of that,” he said.
Employees at Confident Group, quoted in media reports, claimed that Roy had been under considerable stress in recent days, allegedly due to the continued raids by central agencies. Police said they are questioning employees as part of the investigation but cautioned against drawing conclusions until all evidence is reviewed.
The police are also in contact with Roy’s family members, who were not in India at the time of the incident and are expected to arrive later on Friday. Officials said the family will be briefed once preliminary procedures are completed.
Senior police officers reiterated that, at this stage, there are no signs of foul play. “As of now, it appears to be a case of suicide,” Singh said, adding that further clarity would emerge after forensic reports and the post-mortem findings.
Roy was a prominent figure in the real estate sector, and news of his death has sent shockwaves through the industry. Colleagues and associates described him as a driven entrepreneur who built his company over nearly two decades. Apart from real estate, Roy was also associated with the film industry as a movie producer and was known for his philanthropic initiatives.
Further investigation into the case is underway, police said.
Who was C.J. Roy?
Chiriankandath Joseph Roy was born in Kerala and raised in Bengaluru. He studied in France and Switzerland and began his professional career with Fortune 500 company Hewlett-Packard. Roy later returned to India to start his own venture, founding Confident Group in 2006. Under his leadership, the company expanded its footprint across India and overseas, including operations in the Middle East.
