In the quiet minutes before tragedy struck, Dr C J Roy, the Dubai-based chairman and founder of Confident Group, asked for one simple thing — to speak to his mother. That call, investigators say, was never made.
Roy, 57, was found dead with a gunshot wound inside his locked office cabin in Bengaluru on January 30, while Income Tax officials were present to complete procedures linked to an ongoing inquiry. As police reconstruct the sequence of events, attention has turned to the brief 15-minute window that led to his death.
Roy reached his office around 3 pm with Managing Director T A Joseph, intending to cooperate with officials who had been conducting coordinated searches for three days. Sources say he appeared composed and hopeful of resolving the matter.
After interacting with officials and reviewing documents, Roy went into his private cabin. He requested privacy, instructing security not to allow anyone inside, and said he needed to make a phone call to his mother. Joseph stepped away briefly.
Minutes passed. When Joseph returned and knocked, there was no answer. The door was locked from the inside. He forced it open and found Roy seated, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Staff rushed him to hospital, but it was too late.
Police later confirmed that the injury was caused by a licensed firearm, which has since been seized for forensic and ballistic analysis. Investigators are examining whether the cabin had CCTV coverage and are analysing digital, financial, and forensic evidence.
For Roy’s family, the loss is compounded by unanswered questions. They allege that repeated Income Tax searches placed him under immense stress, despite having no debts or financial distress. “Other than the Income Tax issue, he had no problems,” his brother CJ Babu said, urging authorities to uncover the truth.
On Saturday, Roy’s wife Lina and son Rohith arrived from Dubai to complete post-mortem formalities. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has assured a high-level investigation.
As investigators work to determine what drove a successful international businessman to such an end, the final, unmade call to his mother has come to symbolise the human cost behind the headlines.
