The family of Confident Group chairman Chiriankandath Joseph Roy (C.J. Roy) has claimed that raids by the Income Tax Department continued even after he died by suicide on Friday.
They have also alleged that the raids at Roy's Bengaluru office, led by the department's Additional Commissioner Krishna Prasad, had put him under great stress, as per a Media One report.
This includes three days of questioning by the I-T officials, which comes after a December 2025 raid at the Confident Group office. The family claimed that all documents requested at the time had also been provided.
Founded by Roy in 1991, the conglomerate is involved in real estate, education and hospitality. Roy had also made his mark in the Kerala film industry by producing a number of films—most recently actress Bhavana's upcoming film, Anomie. He was also involved in producing reality shows such as Star Singer and Bigg Boss Malayalam.
The report notes that the 57-year-old had been called to the Bengaluru office of the company at about 2 PM, after which he faced questioning for about an hour.
After a round of questioning, he was asked to produce some documents, which he did not for about an hour, in which time he picked up a gun he owned and shot himself with it in front of the I-T officials.
The very same officials admitted him to the Narayana Hospital in Bengaluru's HSR Layout with serious head injuries. However, he is said to have died on the way. A few reports also claim that he was declared dead at the hospital, although THE WEEK could not independently verify this claim.
Roy's body has been shifted to the Bowring Hospital for post-mortem. His family members will return tonight in time for the funeral, which will be held in Bengaluru tomorrow.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)