R.I.P.

Coffee Billionaire V.G. Siddhartha Found Dead Along River in India

Siddhartha went missing Monday evening when he walked away from his car and driver.

V.G. Siddhartha, the founder and owner of India’s largest coffee chain, Coffee Cafe Day, was found dead near a river on the outskirts of the city of Mangaluru. Siddhartha went missing Monday when he asked his driver to stop the car near the Nethravathi river. The driver told the BBC that Siddhartha’s phone was turned off when he tried to contact him later that day. Authorities said fishermen found a body Tuesday along the river, and it was later identified as Siddhartha by members of his family. Siddhartha’s company, Coffee Day Enterprises Limited, released a letter that police verified was written by the coffee tycoon. He wrote that he was in debt and having trouble creating a profitable business model. “I am solely responsible for all mistakes. Every financial transaction is my responsibility,” he wrote. “My intention was never to cheat or mislead anybody. I have failed as an entrepreneur.” Cafe Coffee Day is India’s largest coffee chain with over 1,750 locations across the country, along with cafes in Malaysia, Nepal, and Egypt.