‘Roy sought time to talk to mother and shot himself in adjoining room’ 

CJ Roy, founder and chairman of Dubai-based Confident Group, was on a business visit in his hometown, Bengaluru, when Income Tax sleuths raided his Group. While the raids have been ongoing since Wednesday, Mr Roy arrived at his office in Langford Town on Friday afternoon. It was even claimed that he shot himself and died during the raid.

It is not clear whether he was summoned by IT sleuths or not.

Speaking to media persons, his brother Babu CJ said that when he spoke to Mr Roy around 11am on Friday, he was in his office and his voice “sounded normal”.

A senior police officer who was part of the investigation said that according to preliminary investigation, IT sleuths questioned Mr Roy in the afternoon, after which he sought permission to make a phone call and speak to his mother. Sources said Mr Roy was staying in Koramangala, where he had built a bungalow for himself.

Mr. Roy usually went to the adjoining room where he served as the Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic to Karnataka and Kerala. Minutes later, people in the office heard a gunshot, sources said. Sources said Mr Roy shot himself in the chest with a gun and was found lying in a pool of blood.

It is not yet clear how many shots were fired and whether the gun was licensed. Senior police officials said the gun will be subjected to ballistic examination and only this report will shed more light on the matter. However, his brother Babu Bay said Roy bought a pistol for self-protection 20 years ago and it was licensed.

Congress leader Mohammed Nalpad, who was among the first to reach Narayana Hospital HSR Order where Mr Roy was taken, described him as a “father figure”. “He was such a confident man that he was an inspiration to others, including me. I was shocked that he took his life,” she said. “His family, including his wife, son and daughter, are in Dubai and will reach the city on Saturday,” he said.

Brother blames IT raids

Mr. Roy’s brother, Mr. Babu, said that his brother shared everything with him and they talked every day.

“There was no trouble in the works. There was pressure due to Income Tax raids, which may have pushed him to take the extreme step,” he said. “On January 22, IT detectives also came to my house and asked for a lot of documents, which I gave them. However, the raids stressed my brother. However, when I spoke to him at 11:00 on Friday morning, his voice was normal. I do not know what they asked him and what brought him to the brink,” he said.