Businessman dies allegedly by suicide during income tax raid, Opposition demands probe

Daily Update

CJ Roy reportedly shot himself at the office of his real estate company in Bengaluru on Friday.

Opposition parties on Saturday sought an investigation into the death of Confident Group chairman CJ Roy, saying that the facts behind the incident should be brought to light, PTI reported.

Roy, who was from Kerala, allegedly shot himself dead on Friday afternoon at the office of his real estate company in Bengaluru reportedly during an income tax raid, the news agency quoted unidentified police officers as saying.

His brother, Babu CJ, claimed that pressure due to the raids may have forced Roy to die by suicide, The Hindu reported.

“IT sleuths came to my house as well on January 22 and asked for a lot of documents, which I gave,” the newspaper quoted Babu as saying. “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.”

On Saturday, MV Govindan, the state secretary of Kerala’s ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), asked why central agencies had been incapable to act in a more humane manner when carrying out raids and during their other activities, PTI reported.

The raid on Roy’s office continued even after his death, the news agency cited Govindan as having claimed.

CPI(M) leader and Rajya Sabha MP AA Rahim also said that an investigation should be conducted into whether Roy was a victim of alleged pressure tactics reportedly used by central agencies.

On Friday, Managing Director of Confidence Group, TA Joseph, accompanied Roy to the company’s office on Langford Road so Roy could provide a statement to IT officials.

Confident Group Chairman Dr CJ Roy died by suicide on Friday at his Bengaluru office, moments after an Income Tax (IT) interrogation linked to ongoing raids on his companies. The incident occurred shortly after Roy told colleagues he wanted to speak with his mother, and unfolded while officials were questioning him about documents confiscated during earlier searches.

Income Tax raids were first conducted on companies tied to Roy in the first week of December. Over the last few days, IT sleuths had been questioning him about the confiscated documents and asking for clarifications.

Roy had already appeared for questioning in Kerala earlier. After returning from Dubai, he informed officials that he would be available in Bengaluru whenever required. The IT team then began questioning him in the city.

On Thursday morning, the Income Tax Department had conducted raids on companies tied to him. During the raids, it was allegedly revealed that he possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

What Happened On Friday Afternoon

On Friday, Managing Director of Confident Group, TA Joseph, accompanied Roy to the company’s office on Langford Road so Roy could provide a statement to IT officials. After reaching the office, Roy reportedly went into his cabin.

According to Joseph, Roy later said he wanted to speak with his mother. Joseph stepped out of the cabin, and shortly after, the security staff informed him that Roy had instructed them not to let anyone inside.

When Roy did not respond to repeated knocking, the staff realized the cabin door was locked from the inside. The door was then broken open. Roy was found seated in his chair with bloodstains on his shirt and was unresponsive.

An ambulance was called immediately. Medical staff who reached the office found no pulse. He was rushed to Narayana Hospital in HSR Layout and took to the emergency unit, but could not be revived.

Police Case And Investigation

Following the incident, a formal complaint has been filed at the police station by Joseph, seeking a detailed investigation into the incidents leading up to Roy’s death.

Joseph has urged the police to thoroughly investigate the circumstances that may have pushed Roy to take the extreme step.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said that the incident took place between 3:00 PM and 3:30 PM. He added that IT teams from Kerala had been conducting searches at Roy’s offices for the last three days and had questioned him on the day of the incident as well.

When asked whether this could turn into an abatement to suicide case, the commissioner said the investigation would proceed based on the complaint.

Roy’s brother told a Malayalam news channel that the IT team from Kerala had first arrived on December 3 last year and stayed in Bengaluru for a few days. They returned again on January 28 after calling Roy back from Dubai.

The Confident Group, a well-known real estate company, has been involved in several projects across Southern India. It was also the title sponsor for a few seasons of the Malayalam reality show Bigg Boss Malayalam, hosted by actor Mohanlal.

A compilation of The Hindu’s coverage on the death of Confident Group chairperson, who allegedly shot himself to death on January 30, 2026, even as I-T search operations were ongoing at his Bengaluru office premises.

C.J. Roy, chairperson of the real estate firm Confident Group, allegedly shot himself to death at his office in Langford Town, Bengaluru, while Income Tax search and seizure operations were underway on the premises on Friday (January 30, 2026).

Raids were on against the Confient group by the Income Tax Department, Kerala Region, since Wednesday (January 28, 2026), sources said. According to the preliminary investigation, the I-T sleuths questioned Roy in the afternoon, after which he reportedly asked permission to make a phone call to his mother. Minutes later, he shot himself in his chest with a pistol and was found lying in a pool of blood.

The 57-year-old founder’s death coincided with the 20th anniversary of the real estate firm with footprints in Kerala, Karnataka, and Dubai. Roy’s brother C.J. Babu said there were no issues in the business and that the raids “may have pushed him to take the extreme step”. The I-T Department has not made any public statements so far.