States » SouthPosted at: Nov 15 2026 7:50PM


One more arrested in Veeramani POCSO cases, total 10 detained so far

Chennai, Nov 15 (UNI) The All Women Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the nine cases against tained granite baron R.Veeramani of Gem Granites, has arrested one person, taking the total detention to 10.
A police release this evening said the arrested person was identified as his driver Bala alias Perumal, who was charged with abetting the sexual misconduct of the bizman by ferrying minor girls to him. He was arrested yesterday.
It said based on a complaint and confession statement of yet another victim on November 13, one more fresh FIR was registered against the bizman, taking to total to nine cases. Based on the victims' statement, Perumal was arrested, produced before the Special POCSO Court, remanded in judicial custody and lodged in Puzhal Central prison.
It also said based on the statement given by one of the victims searches were conducted at the residence of Veeramani and the SIT, acting on confessions of one of his arrested driver that the bodies of several victims were buried at the backyard of bizman's house, police dug up to ascertain it yesterday. ,
"So far nine cases were registered against Veeramani on the basis of complaints from 13 victims, ten people were arrested so far, and the charge sheet was filed before the POCSO Court in one of the nine cases. The SIT will be filing the final report in two more cases in the coming days. The probe was proceeding expeditiously in all the cases", it said.
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.
A total of nine POCSO cases were registered against Veeramani, including for abetting the suicide of a minor girl (also POCSO charges invoked) who took the extreme step after being sexually assaulted by him.
Arrested on August 29, 2026 in the first case registered in October 2025, Veeramani was formally arrested in all the eight cases and would be arrested in the ninth case registered on November 13. His acquaintance Shanthi was arrested in three, her husband Mahendra Simkan in two, Lazar in five and bizman's former staffer Ganesan in two cases. The other three accused security guard Srinivasan, Manager Sakthivel, drivers Babu and Parthiban were arrested in one case each. All the accused are lodged at Puzhal Central Prison, it said.
With the arrest of Perumal, so far 10 people were arrested in the high-profile case, which has opened the pandora's box as more skeletons had started tumbling from the cupboard after the SIT started digging deep.
On October 23, Archana Veeramani, daughter of the bizman, was deboarded from a Singapore-bound aircraft and detained at the Chennai airport by the police and questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the POCSO cases, in connection with the large scale financial transactions, running to several crores, that took place to shield Veeramani from the case and evade justice. She too has moved the High Court seeking to quash the summons issued by the SIT saying she was not cited as an accused.
The probe had police unravelled several startling revelations including huge money trail running to crores of rupees, besides transfer of more than 20 kg of gold between Veeramani and suspected mediator(s) in November 2024 when the first complaint was filed, and in early this year (2026) when the closure report was filed. Since the probe also unearthed 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 sexual assault on a minor
by the bizman, Veeramani and two of his acquaintances Shanthi and her husband were arrested on August 29 and all the three were subsequently detained under the Goondas Act following receipt of more complaints against him and recording of statements from the victims.
Later, 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 first five cases, police identified three of Veeramani's drivers — Lazar, Parthiban and Babu — for having allegedly aided his sexual offences by ferrying minor girls to him and the trio were arrested on October 5. Sakthivel was arrested days later on October 18 and Srinivasan on November two, taking the total to nine. It has now went up to 10 with the detention of Perumal.
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 other 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 had handled the earlier complaint. A businessman Prakash Kannaiah, who is the son of powerful Southern Railway Mazdoor union (SRMU) leader N.Kannaiah was said to have acted as the conduit in settling the financial deals to shield Veeramani from the case and evade the long arm of law. His anticipatory bail was already dismissed by the POCSO Court on October 16 and he was facing imminent arrest.
Since he was said to be staying in the UK, Police are now planning to seek Interpol assistance by issuing a Blue Corner notice for his repatriation. The SIT have also issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Prakash and initiated legal steps to cancel his passport to prevent him from hopping to other countries and repatriate him to India for questioning.
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Tags: #One more arrested in Veeramani POCSO cases# total 10 detained so far
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