Coffee Day owner Siddhartha’s body found, family informed

Bengaluru/New Delhi, July 30

The body of Coffee Day Enterprises Chairman and Managing Director V G Siddhartha, missing since Monday evening, was found on Wednesday morning. It was shifted to Wenlock Hospital in Mangalore.

“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 have sent the body to Wenlock Hospital to complete the formalities. Our investigation will continue,” Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sandeep Patil said.

On Tuesday, café chain Coffee Day Enterprises had said in a regulatory filing, "V G Siddhartha, Chairman and Managing Director of Coffee Day Enterprises Limited, is not reachable since yesterday evening. We are taking the help of concerned authorities."

"Company is professionally managed and led by competent leadership team, which will ensure continuity of business," the filing added.

Shares of Coffee Day Enterprises tanked 20 per cent and hit the lower circuit limit as well as 52-week low of Rs 154.05 apiece on BSE after news surfaced that its founder has gone missing.

Siddhartha, son-in-law of former Karnataka chief minister S M Krishna, was headed for Sakaleshpur but on the way he had asked his driver to go towards Mangaluru, according to the police.

On reaching a bridge over the Netravati river in the Kotepura area in Dakshina Kannada district, he got down from the car and told his driver that he was going for a walk.

"He (Siddhartha) asked the driver to wait till his arrival. When he did not return even after two hours, the driver approached the police and lodged a missing complaint," deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district Senthil Sasikant Senthil told PTI.

More than 200 policemen and divers on about 25 boats were carried out searches for him. Sniffer dogs were also been pressed into service.

"We are checking who all he spoke to over phone," Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil said in a message on Tuesday.

In Bengaluru, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had visited S M Krishna's residence and held discussion with the family members.

Senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar also visited Krishna's residence. TNS/PTI