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Confident Group chairman CJ Roy, a prominent real estate baron, was found dead with a gunshot wound inside his office in Langford Town, Bengaluru, on Friday afternoon amid an ongoing Income Tax probe. The 57-year-old businessman allegedly shot himself in the left side of his chest using his licensed pistol between 3 pm and 3.10 pm, police said, adding that the weapon’s licensing status is still under verification.

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The incident occurred while a team of Income Tax (I-T) officials from Kochi, working alongside their Bengaluru counterparts, was conducting searches at the Confident Group office. The operation was part of a larger raid conducted last month, during which officials had scrutinised and seized several documents.

According to the preliminary sequence of events, I-T officers arrived at the office around 12 noon, while Roy reached the premises at approximately 2 pm. Between 2 pm and 3 pm, officials reportedly asked him to sign and review certain documents. Around 3 pm, Roy told the officials that some documents were kept in his cabin and went inside. Minutes later, a gunshot rang out.

Timeline of events:

12 noon: I-T officers arrive at Confident Group’s Bengaluru office

2 pm: CJ Roy reaches the office

2–3 pm: Officials ask him to sign and review documents

3–3.10 pm: Roy allegedly shoots himself in the chest

3.10–4 pm: He is rushed to hospital, declared dead on arrival

Police said Roy was initially informed that he was free to leave but was later asked to stay back for documentation. It remains unclear whether the cabin was under CCTV surveillance. A police source noted that Roy kept his briefcase, containing his pistol and documents, close to him at all times.

Quoting the I-T officials, police said, “Roy was not restricted from doing his regular work today, as we were only conducting scrutiny to lift prohibitory orders against his firm.”

Immediately after the gunshot was heard, panic ensued as employees and officials raised an alarm. “Employees and officials raised an alarm, and Roy was rushed to Narayana Hospital in HSR Layout, where doctors declared him dead on arrival,” a senior investigating officer said.

Police confirmed that one bullet wound was found on Roy’s body but said further investigation was needed to determine whether more shots were fired. “While there is one bullet wound on Roy’s body, we need to investigate further to ascertain how many rounds he might have fired,” police said.

City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said, “While we know it was a hand-held weapon, its exact make and calibre need to be confirmed by the ballistics team, which is conducting its probe.”

A formal case was registered based on a complaint by T A Joseph, founding director and managing director of the Confident Group. An investigating officer clarified that the complaint did not accuse the I-T officials. “We, therefore, registered a case of unnatural death. We may file a separate FIR in case if the family members make any fresh allegations,” the officer said.

Roy’s wife and two children — both in their early 20s — are based in Dubai and are expected to arrive in Bengaluru early on Saturday. While his mother lives near Nexus Mall in Koramangala, aides said Roy usually stayed at five-star hotels in the city’s central business district during his visits.

A close aide recalled Roy’s meticulous habits, saying he never parted with his briefcase. “On rare occasions when he left it behind, he would immediately send his bodyguards to fetch it,” the aide said, adding, “In all these years of working with Roy, he never came across as weak-hearted. His death comes as a shock.”

Roy’s brother CJ Babu, owner of WhiteGold, blamed the I-T department for his death, claiming officials from Kerala had been conducting searches in Bengaluru for three days and subjected Roy to intense pressure.

Babu alleged that although Roy’s family lived in Dubai, he had returned to Bengaluru after being instructed by I-T officials to remain present in the city. Declaring that Roy died by suicide using his pistol, Babu asserted that Income Tax officials were solely responsible for his death, a charge that is likely to intensify scrutiny around the circumstances leading to the businessman’s final moments.