Body of missing CCD founder VG Siddhartha found

VG Siddhartha, who is the son-in-law of BJP leader SM Krishna, is the founder of popular coffee chain Cafe Coffee Day.

He went missing on Monday.

“Around 6am today we found a body in the Hoige Bazaar area and we are trying to confirm if it is Siddhartha. We have informed his family and we have also sent the body to Wenlock Hospital to complete formalities. Our investigation will continue,” Mangaluru’s commissioner of police Sandeep Patil was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

A massive team of 100 firefighters, 100 policemen, 50 divers, 50 fishermen and 30 boats earlier conducted a search operation find the businessman.

VG Siddhartha was the son-in-law of BJP leader SM Krishna.

According to The News Minute report, a fisherman named Ritesh on a trawler boat found the body when he cast his net into the waters. Since the police had informed fishermen to keep an eye out, Ritesh suspected that the body could have been Siddhartha's and immediately informed a local resident (Ashwath), who subsequently intimidated the local corporator Diwakar Pandeshwar and then the trio informed the local police.

Siddharth's body has been sent to hospital for post-motem.

Meanwhile, several celebrities and politicians expressed their shocks over the death of the businessman.

Karnataka Congress tweeted: "#VGSiddhartha case is very unfortunate. Result of harassment by IT officials & decline of India’s entrepreneurial position turning virulent by the day, with Tax Terror & collapse of economy Companies which flourished under UPA have been shut down with many people being jobless."

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta said: "#VGSiddhartha Sad end. Succumbed to disease of doing business in India."

Businessman Anand Mahindra posted: "I did not know him & have no knowledge of his financial circumstances. I only know that entrepreneurs must not allow business failure to destroy their self-esteem. That will bring about the death of entrepreneurship."

Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya also reacted to the development and tweeted: "I am indirectly related to VG Siddhartha. Excellent human and brilliant entrepreneur. I am devastated with the contents of his letter. The Govt Agencies and Banks can drive anyone to despair. See what they are doing to me despite offer of full repayment. Vicious and unrelenting."