3 min readChennaiUpdated: Oct 1, 2026 04:18 AM IST
Police have now booked Veeramani for abetment of suicide and invoked provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act against him. (File Photo)
The Special Investigation Team probing sexual abuse allegations against granite baron R Veeramani, 84, is preparing to file its first chargesheet within days, even as the Chennai police have now booked him for allegedly abetting the suicide of a minor girl more than two decades ago.
“We hope to file the chargesheet within two weeks,” a senior police officer said, referring to the first POCSO case, registered in October 2025. The 2004 death surfaced during the investigation after police accessed a message allegedly sent by co-accused Shanthi, 60, to Veeramani, asking whether he remembered his involvement in the death of a girl.
A special team traced the girl’s family, after which her mother lodged a complaint alleging that Veeramani had sexually abused her daughter and that the girl later died by suicide.
The mother also told investigators that the family had approached the local police at the time, but no action was taken. Police have now booked Veeramani for abetment of suicide and invoked provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act against him, Shanthi and others. Investigators are also verifying information that Rs 1 lakh was paid to the girl’s family or relatives on two occasions.
The expanding investigation comes a month after Veeramani, Shanthi and her husband, Mahendra Simhan, 63, were arrested on August 29 in the original case.
That investigation began on October 7, 2025, after an NGO volunteer gave the Anti-Vice Squad a pen drive containing a video purportedly showing Veeramani sexually assaulting a minor. Police initially sought to close the case after saying they could not identify the girl, but a Special POCSO Court rejected the closure report and ordered further investigation.
Police subsequently arrested Ganesan, 45, a former Veeramani employee, for allegedly possessing the video and failing to report it. The SC/ST Act was also invoked after investigators established that one survivor belonged to a Scheduled Caste community.
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Investigators are now examining financial transactions connected to the accused. Police alleged that Rs 24.63 crore was transferred from Veeramani’s account to Shanthi, of which Rs 2 crore was subsequently transferred to Simhan. In another account under scrutiny, investigators found a balance exceeding Rs 20 crore and have begun steps to freeze it.
Meanwhile, a Special POCSO Court on Tuesday reserved its order on bail petitions filed by Shanthi and Simhan. Police opposed bail, citing risks of witness tampering and destruction of evidence, while defence lawyers argued that their arrests were improper and further custody was unnecessary.
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Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.
Expertise
Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.
Key Coverage Areas:
State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.
Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties.
Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.
Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail.
His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More
