CCD founder-owner V G Siddhartha cremated at family estate in Chethanahalli
Chikkamagaluru: Cafe Coffee Day founder V G Siddhartha, who was found dead on the banks of the Netravati river near Mangaluru, was cremated Wednesday evening. Hundreds of people paid a tearful homage to the ‘Coffee King” at his Chetanahali estate in his ancestral village in Chikkamagaluru.
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was among the first to pay last respects to Siddhartha, who was also the son-in-law of former chief minister S M Krishna.
Earlier today, Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd named independent director SV Ranganath as the interim chairman after the body of founder-owner VG Siddhartha was found on the banks of the Netravati river near Mangaluru at 4.30 am Wednesday.
Siddhartha was first reported missing on Monday evening by his driver, who was the last to see him. The body, which had washed ashore near Ullal this morning, was discovered by fishermen at 4.30 am, following which police reached the spot. The police shifted the body to Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru for post-mortem. “Siddhartha’s body was handed over to his family after the autopsy.
Siddhartha’s father-in-law S.M. Krishna and mother-in-law Prema flew to Chikkamagaluru from Bengaluru, while other family members and relatives also reached the estate for the last rites.
Siddhartha went missing on Monday night and was suspected to have committed suicide by jumping off the bridge.
