States » SouthPosted at: Oct 18 2026 6:54PM


Granite baron Veermani's Manager arrested, one more POCSO case booked on tainted bizman

Chennai, Oct 18 (UNI) The Chennai police on Sunday arrested Gem Granites Manager Sakthivel and slapped one more POCSO against the arrested Granite baron R.Veeramani based on a complaint from a victim who was subjected to sexual abuse by him.
Police sources said raids were also conducted at the tainted bizman's Lloyds road residence in the city and his farm house at Kanathur on the ECR, besides in his firm Chamundeeswarai Natural Stones and seized incriminating documents.
Sakthivel was arrested on charges of handling financial transactions to shield the bizman from law. He was being questioned in this angle after which he would be produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.
With today's arrest so far eight people were arrested in connection with the POCSO cases registered against the paedophile accused.
Police said so far 11 juvenile victims have given complaints against Veeramani and a detailed investigation was being held in each one of them.
Meanwhile, police slapped one more POCSO case against Veeramani, taking the total number of cases to seven. He was also booked for abetting the suicide of a minor girl (also POCSO charges invoked) who took the extreme step after being sexually assaulted by him, taking the total cases to eight.
Based on the POCSO court orders, Veeramani was questioned for two days by the police in central prison. After the expiry of the two-day police custody, he was formally remanded in custody.
Veeramani was arrested after the POCSO court rejected the closure report and ordered the police to probe the matter based on the FIR registered in October 2025. Cases were registered against Veeramani and others under Secs 7,8,15(1), and 21(1) of the POCSO Act, Sections 354(A), 354(C), 201, and 120(B) of IPC and Sections 66(E), and 67(B) of the IT Act.
As the probe by the CCB police unravelled several startling revelations including huge money trial running to crores of rupees, besides more than 20 kg of gold and the involvement of top police officials and also some affluent and influential persons, the Tamil Nadu Government constituted an all-women Special Investigation Team (SIT) which was probing the case in detail.
Based on a complaint from a child right activist and a pen drive given by him containing video footages of the sexual assault on a minor by the bizman, Veeramani and two of his acquaintances Shanthi and her husband Mahendra Simkan were arrested on August 29 and all the three were detained under the Goondas act following receipt of more complaints against him and recording of statements from the victims.
Subsequently, the bizman's former employee Ganesan was arrested on September 22 for not disclosing to the investigators, the contents of the videos containing the inappropriate acts of Veeramani, which he had in his possession. During the investigation into the five cases, police identified three of Veeramani’s drivers — Lazar, Parthiban and Babu — for having allegedly aided his sexual offences by bringing minor girls to him and the trio were arrested on October 5. Today Sakthivel was arrested taking the total to eight.
The questioning and statements given by the drivers led to the formal arrest of Veeramani and Shanthi in a second case at the Puzhal Central prison on October eight, in which they were remanded in judicial custody till October 21 and he was also formally arrested in the suicide abetment case (also POCSO charges added) two days back and today in the third POCSO case.
Widening the probe, the SIT registered a sixth case against Veeramani a couple of days back and today one more POCSO case was slapped on him.
The Madras High Court also refused to order a CBI probe on a plea and said the SIT should be given some breathing time to investigate the case. It had also dismissed two pleas as withdrawn seeking transferring the probe to the Central Investigating agency.
Apart from unravelling huge sums of money trail, running to more than Rs 50 crores allegedly to shield the industrialist, the investigation has also raised questions about the role of top police officers who handled the earlier complaint. A businessman Prakash Kannaiah, who is the son of Southern Railway Mazdoor union (SRMU) leader N.Kannaiahwas was said to have acted as the conduit in settling the financial deals. Though the police have issued summons against him, his anticipatory bail apprehending arrested in the case, was dismissed by the POCSO Court on October 16 and he was facing imminent arrest.
Veeramani was later detained under the Goondas Act along with Shanthi and her husband on the orders of the Greater Chennai City Police Commissioner A.Amalraj.
UNI GV 1850
Tags: #Granite baron Veermani's Manager arrested# one more POCSO case booked on tainted bizman
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