V.G. Siddhartha, the owner of the famous chain Café Coffee Day (CCD,) was found dead on the 31st of July.
Rithesh, a fisherman found the body at the Netravati River at Hoige Bazar Beach in Mangaluru and informed the police. The body was recovered around 6:00 A.M., on the 31st of July. Rithesh was also a part of search operation held, on the 30th of July.
Rithesh said, “I saw a body floating while I was fishing, informed the police. I participated in the rescue operations with the district administration yesterday as well.”
Sandeep Patil, the Police Commissioner of Mangaluru, said, “We found a body early morning today around 6 A.M., which appears to be that of VG Siddhartha. It needs to be identified, we have already informed the family members. We are shifting the body to Wenlock Hospital. We will continue the further investigation (sic.)”
Mr. Siddhartha went missing on the 29th of July at night, when he was on his way to Bengaluru with his driver Basavaraj Patil.
Siddhartha was last seen on the Ullal Bridge, Karnataka and was reported missing by Basavaraj.
Basavaraj said Siddhartha told him to stop driving as he wishes to take a walk. Patil said Siddhartha asked him to wait at a distance, but he never returned, following which, Basavaraj called him and found out his phone was switched off.
Patil later informed the police and filed a missing report. The Mangaluru Police immediately started an investigation and a search operation to find Siddhartha.
The 36 hour search operation finally ended when the Police found his dead body in the Netravati river.
According to the initial investigation, V.G. Siddhartha wrote a letter to the board of directors of CCD and employees, stating he failed as an entrepreneur. Siddhartha also revealed how he was being harassed by Income Tax (IT) officials.
After the postmortem, Siddhartha’s body will be taken to Chikkamagaluru, where his body will be kept from 2:00 P.M., to 4:30 P.M., so people can pay their last respects.
As per Member of Legislative Council Pranesh, who is also Siddhartha’s close relative, Siddhartha’s last rites will be performed at Chattanahalli, Karnataka.
Siddhartha’s death came as a shock to his family as well as the Nation. Siddhartha launched the first CCD outlet in 1996 in Bengaluru, India. The chain grew widely, with approximately 1,843 outlets across India, as of July 2019.
There were different reactions to Siddhartha’s death across India, wherein some blamed the IT officials for the death and others just conveyed their condolences to the family.
If someone with Rs 8,000 cr ++ of net worth and a strong #political backing can surrender his life to the pressure of debt, a common man is just to the mercy of his own will.
Body of #VGSiddhartha found from Netravathi river
Talk to people around you if something bothers you 🙏
— Aakash K Hindocha (@aakashhindocha) July 31, 2019
The case of V.G. Siddhartha might not be an isolated one, say entrepreneurs who believe that the presence of multiple stakeholders puts a lot of pressure on the businesses and the founders.#VGSiddhartha #CafeCoffeeDayhttps://t.co/4Z75dFzxf5
— The Hindu (@the_hindu) July 31, 2019
RIP Coffee King #VGSiddhartha pic.twitter.com/XGM41ewzka
— Ashith G.Pereira (@Ashithpereira) July 31, 2019
Among many memorable @CafeCoffeeDay
experiences
– this one touched me.
2010, I was traveling with my toddler son. Had forgotten to carry milk. I asked CCD to fill a bottle for me, charge me for 2 coffees. They refused to bill it. RIP #VGSiddhartha, your brand will live long. pic.twitter.com/eAalRNoYkO— Nandita Iyer (@saffrontrail) July 31, 2019
The Indian National Congress (INC) gave a political face to Siddhartha’s demise and blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the torture faced by Siddhartha due to the IT officials.
The board members of CCD also conducted a meeting today at 11:50 A.M., in Chikkamagaluru. The meeting is underway.
The CCD board of directors also declared a national holiday in all the CCD outlets across India.
Stay tuned for further updates.
