Published Oct 23, 2026 | 6:38 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 23, 2026 | 6:38 PM
The police said the SIT was constituted to conduct further investigation into the case against Gem Veeramani and other accused.
Archana, daughter of businessman Gem Veeramani, who is in judicial custody in a POCSO case, was deboarded from a Singapore-bound flight by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at Chennai International Airport on Friday and taken into custody.
Archana Veeramani had boarded the Singapore-bound IndiGo flight scheduled to depart at 2.20 pm. But the SIT removed her from the aircraft before take-off and whisked her away to an undisclosed location for further inquiry.
Police suspect that Archana may have had a role in certain financial transactions linked to the case involving her father. Investigators are expected to question her about these alleged payoffs as part of the ongoing investigation.
They are also set to question her about the reasons behind her proposed travel to Singapore.
Before this, eight people had been arrested in connection with the POCSO cases, including Veeramani, his alleged associates and employees.
Those arrested include M Shanthi and her husband Mahendra Simhan, at whose house the survivor in the original complaint was said to have been abused.
Veeramani’s former employee Ganesan alias Kailash, three drivers — Lasar, Parthiban and Babu — and Gem Granites manager Sakthivel are also in custody.
Police are investigating allegations that some of the accused facilitated access to minor girls, while others were allegedly involved in transporting them or handling evidence.
Sakthivel was arrested in connection with suspected financial transactions linked to the case.
Investigators are also searching for N Prakash, Veeramani’s former advisor, as part of their investigation into the alleged financial dealings.
A seventh case had been registered against Veeramani under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on Sunday.
It follows a complaint by another minor girl, who alleged that the incident took place at the residence of Shanthi, who it has been claimed knew Veeramani from the time she was 13.
Veeramani, 84, was initially arrested on August 29 along with Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan, following the recovery of video evidence from a pen drive received by the Anti-Vice Squad.
The arrest followed a special POCSO court’s rejection of the Chennai Police’s initial closure report on August 19. S Padma, District Judge of the Special Court for Exclusive Trial of Cases under the POCSO Act, had ordered a further investigation, while giving the police team four weeks to complete it.
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(With inputs from Subash Chandra Bose. Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
