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Founder of India's largest coffee chain found dead

July 31, 2019

Two days after V.G. Siddhartha — the founder of India's Café Coffee Day — went missing, police confirmed Wednesday that they recovered his body from a river in Mangalore, according to CNN.

The chain's parent conpany, Coffee Day Enterprises, gave its condolences to Siddhartha's family in a statement this week and also praised his "matchless energy, vision and business acumen." It also released a letter that it claimed was written July 27 by Siddhartha, which said he was facing "tremendous pressure" from lenders that led to him "succumbing to the situation."

"I would like to say I gave it my all," it said. "I am very sorry to let down all the people that put their trust in me."

Police said Siddhartha, 59, disappeared Monday from a bridge over the Netravati river, where he got out of his car to take a walk.

He founded the chain in the '90s in Bangalore, and it now has 1,700 outlets, making it India's largest coffee chain.