Published Sep 19, 2026 | 11:02 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 19, 2026 | 11:02 AM
Police found that Veeramani had rented a house in Teynampet where he allegedly assaulted minor girls.
Chennai Police have reportedly identified seven more women as alleged survivors in the sexual-abuse case involving R Veeramani (84), chairman of Gem Group/Gem Granites.
Police have recorded the statements of the seven survivors before the Special Court dealing with POCSO cases. The alleged offences are from the period when the victims were minors, though most of the identified survivors are now adults.
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The case originated in 2025, when police registered a case after receiving a USB drive containing a video clip that allegedly showed a minor being sexually assaulted at a guest house in Teynampet in 2019. Police had initially filed a closure report, citing difficulties in identifying the girl and the man seen in the video. However, the court rejected the report and ordered further investigation.
A special team headed by ACP Rajalakshmi subsequently identified the survivor and established that she was a minor at the time of the alleged offence. Veeramani, along with Shanti (60) and Mahendra Simhan (63), was arrested in connection with the case on 29 August.
On Thursday, 17 September, Veeramani was granted three days of police custody until 20 September by the court. Given his age and health condition, police questioning is being conducted inside Puzhal prison and is being video-recorded.
During the investigation, police reportedly found indications that other minor girls may also have been sexually abused, leading to the identification of the seven additional survivors. Since one of the identified survivors belongs to a Scheduled Caste community, provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have also been added to the case.
Meanwhile, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has said it has not yet received a report from the police. The CWC has also indicated that, as the identified survivors are now adults, its intervention may not be required unless any of them requires care and protection.
According to police, the case was registered in October 2025, after a child welfare volunteer approached an inspector of the anti-vice squad and handed over a pen drive. He said the pen drive was given to him by an unidentified person who had come to his office.
The unidentified person reportedly stated that the pen drive contained a video showing prominent industrialist Veeramani allegedly committing a sexual offence against a minor girl in the bedroom of the house of his associate, Shanthi. On examining the video, the police found footage showing an adult man allegedly committing a sexual offence against a minor girl.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered on October 7, 2025, by the Anti-Vice Squad of the Central Crime Branch, Greater Chennai Police.
However, after inquiry, the squad sought closure of the case, citing ‘lack of evidence.’ In a closure report filed before the special POCSO court in Chennai, the investigative agency submitted that the incident recorded in the video had occurred in 2019 and there was no information about the identity and the whereabouts of the minor girl involved. The agency also cited eyewitness statements and statements by the accused -Veeramani, Shanti and her husband Mahendra Simkan- to claim that the man in the video was not Veeramani.
However, the court rejected the report on August 19 and ordered further investigation into the incident, giving the agency a four-week ultimatum.
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On August 19, the police issued a statement saying they were able to establish the identity of the man seen in the video as industrialist Veeramani.
Police found that he had rented a house in Teynampet and entrusted its management to co-accused Shanthi and Mahendra Simkan. The investigation revealed that several minor girls had been brought to the house, where Veeramani allegedly committed sexual offences against them. Video evidence relating to an offence against one of the minor girls was also seized.
During searches of the residences and offices of the accused, police seized several important pieces of evidence, including photographs of the minor girls and women allegedly connected with the case and other related material.
Veeramani, Shanthi and Simkan were arrested and remanded in judicial custody.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Subash Chandra Bose)
