The investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of minor girls by granite baron R Veeramani has widened, with more survivors coming forward and the Chennai Police examining the possibility that several other girls may have been abused.
The latest development comes nearly a year after the case was first registered based on a pen drive containing video evidence that was handed over to a Chennai-based activist by an unidentified man in October 2025.
A court on Thursday granted police three days’ custody of Veeramani for questioning. Police sources indicate that at least nine girls may have been sexually abused, though not all of them have given statements to the police. A few of those who have come forward and given statements are now adults, while police sources say some of the alleged survivors are still minors. Police alleged that he had rented a house in Teynampet and entrusted its management to Shanthi and her husband Mahendra Simhan. Veeramani, Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan were arrested after the police recently revived the investigation. Police have alleged that Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan assisted in the offences and helped conceal them. The renewed investigation subsequently led to further evidence and the identification of the survivor, paving the way for the arrests and a wider probe into the alleged abuse of other girls. Investigators are expected to question him about the allegations made by the survivors, the video evidence and other material recovered during searches of his homes and offices.
Because the police had earlier sought to close the case, the development assumes significance. The video handed over to the police in 2025 is believed to date back to 2019, according to police sources.
The Chennai Police had said that the man seen in the video was identified as Veeramani, Chairman of the Gem Group and Chairman and Managing Director of Chennai-based Gem Granites.
The police had filed a closure report before the Special POCSO Court, but the court rejected it and directed further investigation.
