‘Said he would call family, then shot self’: What cops said on Confident Group chairman's death

COnfident aggroup beginner and chairman CJ Roy was found deadened at his abode in exchange Bengaluru on Friday while Income-Tax officials were conducting searches linked to his company, police said. Officers said the case is being treated prima facie as a suicide, though investigations are ongoing.As reported by HT earlier, Roy was in his first-floor office chamber when the incident occurred, according to police officers familiar with the sequence of events. Income-Tax officials had been questioning him as part of searches connected to the firm.Shot fired after questioningOne officer, who did not wish to be named, said the searches had been underway for three days and Roy was questioned in his office between 12 pm and 1 pm.“By 3.15pm, the questioning was over. He said he would make a call to his family and come back. He then went into another room and shot himself,” the officer said.Officials at the premises said they heard a gunshot and immediately entered the room. The 57-year-old, who sustained bullet injuries at his Langford Town bungalow, was taken to a private hospital and later shifted to Narayana Hospital in HSR Layout, where he was declared dead, according to deputy commissioner of Police (Central) Akshay Hakay.Police said the pistol suspected to have been used in the shooting has been seized and CCTV footage from the property is being reviewed.Forensic teams at spotBengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh visited the scene later in the day and confirmed that a case has been registered at Ashok Nagar police station based on a complaint filed by an executive from Roy’s company.“Prima facie, it appears that industrialist CJ Roy has shot himself. The body has been shifted to Narayana Hospital in HSR Layout. The SOCO (Scene of Crime Officer) team, ballistic experts, and other officials have arrived at the scene and are investigating,” he said.Police said the incident took place around 3.15 pm. Forensic teams and ballistic experts are working to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the firing.Abetment angle not ruled out yetPolice said it is too early to conclusively categorise the case and that charges will depend on findings during the probe.“Charges will be framed based on the complaint. Ballistic experts will ascertain details regarding the weapon,” Singh said, when asked whether the case would remain a suicide investigation or if abetment charges could be considered.On the presence of tax officials at the time of the shooting, he added: “The I-T team arrived from Kerala. At present, limited details are available. Our immediate focus is on the crime and gathering all relevant information.”According to officers, tax officials who were present for the searches were later allowed to leave after preliminary questioning. Officials from the Income Tax office in Kochi did not respond to calls seeking comment.Income-Tax searchesPolice said the Income-Tax department was carrying out coordinated searches at several locations linked to the Confident Group, a major developer in the luxury housing segment in Bengaluru and Kerala.The company has been involved in tax disputes and appeals before the Karnataka high court and the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, officials said.Commissioner Singh confirmed that questioning had been underway for three days. “Roy was questioned today. What exactly transpired during the questioning will be investigated,” he said.Film industry linksRoy, originally from Kochi, was also associated with the Malayalam film industry. He produced films including the 2012 Mohanlal-starrer Casanova.Confident Group also served as title sponsor for multiple seasons of the television reality show Bigg Boss Malayalam, hosted by Mohanlal.With inputs from Vishnu Varma