The POCSO case involving R. Veeramani, chairman of the GEM Group and founder of GEM Granites, began in October 2025 after a child-rights activist handed Chennai police a pen drive containing a video that purportedly showed an elderly man sexually assaulting a girl who appeared to be a minor.
The footage was reportedly recorded in 2019, and police registered an FIR on October 7, 2025.
During the initial investigation, police examined Veeramani and people associated with him. Veeramani denied that he was the man appearing in the video. Investigators, however, were unable at that stage to identify or locate the girl shown in the footage and said they could not obtain sufficient corroborating evidence from the years-old recording and location. The Anti-Vice Squad consequently submitted a report seeking to drop further action.
The case changed significantly on August 19, 2026, when the Special POCSO Court refused to accept the closure report and directed police to conduct further investigation. Following the court's intervention, a fresh investigation was undertaken. Police said the renewed probe linked the video to Veeramani and identified a house in Teynampet, Chennai, which investigators say had been rented by him and managed by Shanthi and her husband Mahendra Simhan.
On August 29, 2026, police arrested Veeramani, Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan. Police allege that the Teynampet property was connected to sexual offences involving minors and are also investigating whether evidence was tampered with or destroyed. These allegations against the accused have not yet been proved in court.
A major breakthrough followed when police traced the woman whom they believe to be the girl shown in the original 2019 video. Police said she confirmed that she was the person in the footage and identified Veeramani as the man appearing with her. Investigators established that she had been a minor at the time, and her statement was recorded before a Judicial Magistrate.
The investigation subsequently widened. Police identified at least seven additional alleged survivors, now adults, whose allegations concern periods when they were minors. Their statements have reportedly been recorded before the Special POCSO Court. Investigators are now examining whether alleged offences occurred over a longer period and at other properties associated with Veeramani. Reports that investigators are examining allegations potentially dating back to 2003 represent an ongoing line of inquiry, not an established judicial finding.
Shanthi, who is herself an accused in the case, has also alleged that Veeramani began sexually exploiting her when she was around 13 years old. That is her allegation and has not yet been established by a court.
The investigation has expanded into the financial trail and the handling of the original police investigation. India Today reported on September 22 that financial transactions of approximately ₹70 crore are being examined. This does not mean ₹70 crore has been established as a bribe or payment connected to the alleged offences; the nature and relevance of those transactions remain under investigation.
The case has also generated political accusations over why police initially sought closure and why significant evidence emerged only after the POCSO Court ordered further investigation. However, there is currently no judicial finding that any government, political party or politician ordered the case to be suppressed or protected Veeramani. The earlier handling of the investigation is itself being examined.
The established sequence is therefore significant: a pen-drive video led to an FIR in October 2025; police later sought to close the case; the POCSO Court rejected that move in August 2026; a fresh investigation resulted in three arrests; the original survivor was subsequently traced; and additional alleged survivors were identified.
The investigation remains ongoing. Veeramani and the other accused have not been convicted, and the allegations against them will ultimately have to be established through evidence before the court.
