Dubai-based businessman Dr CJ Roy's son breaks silence on father's death: 'He never spoke of stress'

Dubai: A visibly grief-stricken Rohith Roy, son of Confident Group Chairman Dr CJ Roy, expressing shock and disbelief over his father’s sudden suicide.

“My father was a great man. We are truly shocked by what led him to reach this point. None of us ever imagined something like this would happen,” Rohith said.

Thanking the media for their support, he added, “I want to thank the media for standing by our family and for the respect shown during this difficult time, both when he was alive and now during his funeral arrangements.”

When asked whether his father had been under any stress, Rohith said, “No, he never mentioned anything about stress or pressure to us. He never spoke about any such issues at home.”

He added that the family would issue an official statement in a few days. A press conference has also been called on February 3rd at 230pm in India.

Earlier in the day, footage of Dr Roy's wife and children breaking down were also doing the rounds.

The wife and son of Dr CJ Roy arrived from Dubai in Bengaluru on Saturday at the Bowring Hospital post-mortem centre. Lina Roy and Rohith Roy were accompanied by Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee President Mohammed Nalapad.

It's being widely reported that Dr Roy was hoping to speak to his mother 15 minutes before he took his life.

Roy, a Dubai-based businessman and founder of the Confident Group, was found dead at his Richmond Circle office on Friday amid ongoing Income Tax raids. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead.

High-level investigation underway

According to media reports, forensic teams, including the Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), are investigating the incident. Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said preliminary findings indicate death due to a gunshot injury and that the crime scene is being thoroughly examined.

A team from Kerala has also joined the probe. Officials confirmed that Income Tax raids had been ongoing for the past two days, with earlier searches conducted previously as well.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said a high-level investigation would be carried out.

According to his office, Roy had requested a short break during questioning by Income Tax officials shortly before the incident occurred.

“We will uncover the truth. This should not have happened. He was a good businessman. Our government will provide a detailed report once investigations are complete,” Shivakumar’s office said in a statement.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Akshay Machindra Hakay said the incident likely occurred between 3:00 pm and 3:15 pm.

Funeral and public homage

Roy’s funeral was held at Casagrand, Bannerghatta, in accordance with his personal wishes. Arrangements for public homage have been made at the White House in Koramangala, owned by his brother CJ Babu Joseph.