CCD founder Siddhartha's body found on river bank
Mangaluru/Bengaluru: The body of Cafe Coffee Day founder V G Siddhartha, who went missing two days ago, was found by local fishermen and patrolling policemen on the banks of the Nethravathi river near Mangaluru on Wednesday.
A police official said "everything" points to suicide but nothing can be ruled out until the investigation is over.
Siddhartha, whose chain of cafes helped make coffee a lifestyle beverage and brought in latte, cappuccino, Americano and espresso into the urban Indian lexicon, was 59. He is survived by his wife Malavika and two sons.
His body was identified by his friends, said Dakshina Kannada district Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil.
The body of Siddhartha, who purportedly wrote a farewell letter to the Board of Directors and employees of his company Coffee Day Enterprises and alleged harassment from lenders and tax authorities, was traced after nearly two days of an intensive search operation.
The search involved multiple agencies which scoured the waters under a bridge across Nethravathi, where Siddhartha was reportedly last seen on Monday night, officials said.
"We have found the body. They (Siddhartha's family) are making arrangements for the funeral. I will also attend it. I have no words to comfort the family," Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said in Bengaluru.
After the post-mortem at Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru, the body was taken to his hometown of Chikmagalur, where the funeral took place.
Thousands came to pay their last respects to the much-loved entrepreneur.
A senior police official said, "Investigation is going on. Prima facie everything points out to that (suicide) only. But we still we can't rule out anything. We will have to finish the investigation". Senthil said the body was spotted by local fishermen and police, who had been patrolling on the banks of the river.
Political leaders condoled the death of the coffee tycoon, who was also the son-in-law of former Karnataka chief minister and BJP leader S M Krishna. See inside
