CJ Roy, developer and flamboyant businessman, dies by suicide after tax raids

CJ Roy died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound

• CJ Roy, founder of Confident Group, died by suicide during an Income Tax raid
• Roy built a real estate empire in India and Dubai, producing major Malayalam films.
• Confident Group mourns Roy's death, vows to continue his vision.

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Bengaluru-based developer Roy Chiriankandath Joseph, better known as CJ Roy, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in the city on January 30, during an Income Tax raid there. His death culminates in a two decade journey of working at large firms, and making it as an entrepreneur with his real estate firm Confident Group, with his life criss-crossing cinema, and a jet-setting lifestyle.

A former employee at corporates such as BPL, Hewlett-Packard, and others, his venture into real estate through a land parcel in Sarjapura turned out to be a multi-bagger, and his near-two decade empire resulted in considerable name and fame even beyond homes, becoming a large film producer as well.

That fame, including associations with Malayali cinema's leading man Mohanlal, brought him a large following on social media, with 1.3 million followers on Instagram. Roy was known to be conspicuous with his wealth, often parading his sports cars to his followers, from a Rolls-Royce to a Bugatti, both in India and at his base in Dubai, which he often referred to as his home. According to industry insiders, Roy has a considerable empire in Dubai as well, largely looked after by his son.

The group constructed more than 40 million square feet in real estate across his target markets. And in Bengaluru, where he started his business, he has increasingly taken the joint development route, with the group targeting 1,000 acres in joint development projects. In 2025, the group is developing around 412 acres through the "asset-light" route.

Besides his ventures in the Bengaluru, and in the UAE, markets, Roy, a native of Kerala, invested considerably in his home state, as wealth flowing from the state's significant diaspora made for ripe pickings. His interests, mainly apartment projects in the mid-premium categories, but also bungalows and plots, remained in the state's capital Thiruvananthapuram, the state's largest city Kochi, as well as major district headquarters such as Thrissur and Kozhikode.

All told, the group has as many as 50 projects in Kerala, according to the Kerala Real Estate Regulatory Authority (KRERA), many of them being under construction.

Film ventures

His association with his home state extended to major films, even "rescuing" film projects stuck in development hell. With Mohanlal, Roy produced films such as Casanovva in 2012, which did moderately at the box office. Roy was one of the producers of the historical epic Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham in 2021, where Mohanlal played the titular role. Like Casanovva, Marakkar also did moderately in theatres, despite the hype and the large production budget.

Roy had more luck in recent years in Malayali cinema, as well as in the Karnataka film industry, with films such as Identity, starring Tovino Thomas and Trisha Krishnan, being one of the highest grossers in the Malayali film industry for 2025. Besides films, Roy sponsored the Malayalam edition of the reality show Bigg Boss, and held an honorary role as a consul of Slovakia.

The Confident Group was not available for comment on the story. In a post on social media, the company mourned Roy's death, saying that his vision for the group lives on.