Key Points:
- Incident occurred around 3:15 PM on January 30 at the Confident Group office on Langford Road, near Richmond Circle
- IT officials from Kerala had been conducting raids and questioning for three consecutive days
- Brother alleges Additional Commissioner Krishna Prasad led the team that subjected Roy to intense pressure
- Post-mortem conducted at Bowring Hospital; case likely to be transferred to CID for specialized investigation
- Family denies debt issues, insists Roy maintained a zero-debt business model
- Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar promises thorough probe, compares case toVG Siddhartha’s death
- Roy had returned from Dubai on January 27 after being summoned by investigators
The tragedy unfolded on Friday afternoon when a team of Income Tax officials from Kochi, Kerala, arrived at the Confident Group headquarters on Langford Road. According to police sources, Roy reached his office around 2:00 PM after being asked to appear for questioning related to ongoing tax proceedings. For approximately one hour, officials reviewed documents and requested signatures from the 57-year-old businessman.
Around 3:00 PM, Roy reportedly informed the officials that he needed to retrieve additional documents from his private cabin. He also mentioned wanting to call his mother. Minutes later, a gunshot rang through the office. Employees and IT officials rushed to the cabin to find Roy seated with a fatal chest wound, allegedly self-inflicted using his licensed pistol, which he reportedly kept inside a briefcase that remained constantly by his side. He was rushed to Narayana Hospital in HSR Layout, where doctors declared him dead on arrival due to severe blood loss.
Family Allegations of Pressure
Roy’s elder brother, CJ Babu, who owns White Gold Properties, has emerged as the family’s primary spokesperson, leveling serious allegations against the Income Tax Department. Babu claims that his brother was driven to suicide by three days of sustained harassment and intense pressure from IT officials, specifically naming Additional Commissioner Krishna Prasad from Thiruvananthapuram as the lead officer responsible.
“He was completely normal and in good spirits. We spoke at 10:40 AM on Friday, and he sounded fine, proposing to meet the following evening,” Babu told media outlets. “The only issue he ever mentioned was the unbearable pressure from Income Tax officials. He had no debts, no threats, no enemies. The IT officials are solely responsible for his death.”
Babu revealed that Roy had been summoned from Dubai, where his wife Lina and children Rohith and Riya reside. The businessman returned to Bengaluru on January 27 specifically to cooperate with the investigation. According to family sources, IT teams had previously conducted raids on December 3 and 6, 2025, and resumed operations on January 28, 2026.
Investigation Status and Political Response
The Ashok Nagar police have registered a case of unnatural death under Section 174(c) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) based on a complaint filed by TA Joseph, Managing Director and founding director of Confident Group. Forensic teams, including Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) personnel, have examined the office and recovered the weapon, CCTV footage from corridors, and Roy’s mobile devices for analysis.
Late Friday night, senior police officials held high-level discussions regarding the case. Sources indicate the investigation will likely be transferred from Ashok Nagar police station to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) by Saturday evening or Sunday morning to ensure impartial, specialized handling of the politically sensitive matter.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has announced a comprehensive high-level probe, stating, “When IT officials were questioning him, he asked for five minutes, went inside, and shot himself. We will uncover the truth. This should not have happened; he was a good businessman.” Shivakumar noted that Delhi authorities have also requested a detailed report on the incident, and hinted at a pattern of harassment against business leaders, drawing immediate comparisons to the 2019 death of Cafe Coffee Day founder VG Siddhartha.
Kerala Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan has also questioned the circumstances, remarking that a businessman would not typically fear an Enforcement Directorate raid unless something more serious was involved, suggesting the need for a thorough investigation into all angles.
The Business Empire
Roy’s journey from a corporate employee to a real estate tycoon traced Bengaluru’s transformation into an IT hub. Kerala-born but raised in Bengaluru since childhood, Roy studied at St. Joseph’s Indian High School before working for BPL, TVS Electronics, and Hewlett-Packard. He resigned from HP in 1997 to pursue entrepreneurship, founding Confident Group in 2005 with six partners and an initial investment of approximately Rs 100 crore.
The company grew into one of India’s prominent real estate developers, completing over 165 projects spanning 43 million square feet across Kerala, Karnataka, and Dubai. Roy consistently promoted a zero-debt business model, claiming the group avoided project loans and relied on cheque-based land purchases. His early investment in 350 acres of agricultural land in Sarjapura in 2001, when the area was underdeveloped, became a cornerstone of the company’s subsequent success as the region evolved into a major IT corridor.
Beyond real estate, Roy diversified into hospitality, education, healthcare, aviation, and film production. He produced Malayalam films, including “Casanova” starring Mohanlal, with his latest production, “Anomie” scheduled for release later this year. A luxury car aficionado with over 1.3 million Instagram followers, Roy owned a private jet and a collection of more than 200 high-end vehicles, including 12 Rolls-Royce models and a Bugatti. In 2017, he was appointed Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic in Bengaluru.
What Happens Next
Roy’s wife, Lina, and son, Rohith, arrived at the Bowring Hospital mortuary on Saturday morning from Dubai, accompanied by Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee President Mohammed Nalapad. The family is expected to proceed with cremation arrangements at Casagrand, Bannerghatta, with public homage to be held at White House in Koramangala, owned by brother CJ Babu.
As the investigation continues, police are analyzing Roy’s diary, which reportedly contains phone numbers of film industry contacts, along with his digital communications and financial records. IT officials who were present during the raid are expected to be questioned as part of the expanding probe. No suicide note has been recovered, leaving investigators to piece together the precise motivations behind the tragic act through forensic evidence and witness statements from the nearly three dozen employees and officials present in the building that afternoon.
