After a large-scale search, the missing Indian coffee magnate V. G. Siddhartha has been found dead.
A fisherman has discovered the body of the missing since Monday billionaire on the banks of the Nethravathi River in southern India, the police said today. An autopsy should now bring clarity about the cause of death. The police do not rule out suicide.
Cafe Coffee Day, the owner of Indian coffee house chain, was last seen on Monday night on a bridge near the city of Mangalore in the state of Karnataka. When he did not return, his driver alerted the police. Since then she has been looking for Siddhartha, one of the richest men in India.
According to Indian media reports, the 57-year-old suffered from depression in several offices of his coffee empire two years ago since tax raids. According to the information, he was in talks with the US company Coca-Cola on a sale of much of the company.
Siddhartha: „I failed as an entrepreneur“
In a letter to the board of the coffee house chain, the billionaire had admitted in the past week, entrepreneurial errors. He has been under pressure from investment partners and has been pressured by the tax authorities. „It has never been my intention to cheat or mislead anyone. I failed as an entrepreneur „, it said in the letter of 27 July.
According to police, Siddhartha had told his family that he wanted to go to a resort in the mountains. Instead, he let his driver take him to Mangalore. He stopped him on a bridge, got out and phoned. He had disappeared since then.
The billionaire was married to the daughter of a former Indian foreign minister and was one of the best-connected entrepreneurs in the country. His family has been in the coffee business for more than 130 years. Siddhartha founded Cafe Coffee Day in 1996. Meanwhile, the chain has 1,700 stores worldwide – most of them in India.
Help in a crisis situation
Reports of (possible) suicide can worsen the situation of people in crisis. The Emergency Psychiatric Service provides advice and support around the clock on 01/313 30 in the event of a crisis. The Austria-wide Telefonseelsorge can also be reached at any time under 142 free of charge.
