Kochi/Bengaluru: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of Confident Group chairman CJ Roy has found no evidence that Income Tax officials harassed or pressured him before he shot himself at his Bengaluru office on 31 January.

Officials said the investigation has reached its final stage and preliminary findings point to severe business-related stress as the likely trigger behind the suspected suicide. The SIT confirmed Roy was not questioned by tax authorities on the day he died, and there is no material to suggest he was intimidated or coerced by them.

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Investigators are now focusing on other factors that may have affected Roy’s mental state, including his recent treatment for stress and the possibility of financial pressures. The SIT has recorded statements from three close friends in Kochi who spoke to Roy at length in the days leading up to his death.

Police are also preparing to scrutinise the financial affairs of Roy’s businesses. Audit records will be examined, and private auditors have been appointed to analyse company transactions to determine whether regulatory scrutiny, investor pressure or disruptions in fund flows contributed to his stress.

Roy, known for his lavish lifestyle, had been under heightened scrutiny for his financial transactions in recent months.

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The Confident Group has said work at all project sites has resumed and that commitments to buyers remain unchanged.

(IANS)