Confident Group’s chairman, CJ Roy, died by suicide on Friday at his office in Bengaluru. He was 57. Police said this came just a day after Income Tax officials raided several companies linked to him.
Confident Group’s chairman, CJ Roy, dies by suicide at 57
During these searches, they apparently found that Roy owned assets far beyond what his known income would suggest.
The Confident Group is a big name in real estate, especially across southern India—Kerala and Karnataka, in particular.
Police say Roy shot himself in the head after the tax raids. People close to him say the constant pressure from repeated IT raids had left him deeply stressed.
Who was CJ Roy?
Dr. Roy C.J. grew up in Bengaluru, though he was originally from Kerala. He founded Confident Group and led it as chairman, building the business into a well-known real estate company with projects in Bengaluru, Kochi, other Indian cities, and even the Middle East. He earned a PhD, studied in France and Switzerland, and kicked off his career at Hewlett-Packard.
Roy launched Confident Group in 2006, right after the dot-com crash. He managed to keep the company debt-free, and, according to the company’s own numbers, delivered more than 165 projects, covered over 43 million square feet, and served upwards of 15,000 customers.
What was CJ Roy’s net worth?
Born and raised in Kochi, Kerala, Roy jumped into the film industry as well. He produced several Malayalam movies, including the big-budget Mohanlal film Casanova back in 2012.
CJ Roy didn’t just stick to real estate; he took Confident Group into hospitality, infrastructure, and even entertainment. He had a knack for backing hit TV shows like Idea Star Singer, and you’d often hear about him pitching in when people needed help.
After the big floods in Kerala, he led the charge to rebuild 100 homes. He also paid for heart surgeries for people who couldn’t afford them. That kind of generosity earned him a lot of respect, not just from business folks, but from regular people too.
Confident Group also made waves in the TV world as the title sponsor for a few seasons of Bigg Boss Malayalam, with Mohanlal hosting.
Nobody knows CJ Roy’s net worth since the Confident Group owner kept things private but plenty of reports put the number at over $1 billion.
He kept high-end cars in both India and Dubai. Think Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, and even a Bugatti Veyron, his fleet was worth tens of millions. Just last November, he added his twelfth Rolls-Royce, a Phantom VIII.
On top of all that, Roy served as the Honorary Consul for the Slovak Republic in both Karnataka and Kerala.
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