CHENNAI: Eleven months ago, the Chennai police had a video allegedly showing a minor being sexual assault, identified the alleged location of the offence, and registered a Pocso case against granite baron R Veeramani, but still decided to close the investigation citing lack of conclusive evidence.
The sincerity of the initial probe, contained in a ‘further action dropped’ report filed by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) before the Special Pocso Court, have now come under scrutiny after the court refused to accept the closure report and ordered further investigation.
The report dated February 18, 2026, was filed in a case registered under Sections 7 and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act based on a complaint filed by an activist on October 6, 2025, after an unidentified man handed over a pen drive containing a video of a minor girl with a man.
The CCB registered the case on October 7 and questioned Veeramani. However, the investigation subsequently focused on the inability to establish the identity of the girl in the video and the absence of corroborative evidence. The forensic examination of the pen drive and a digital video recorder did not yield identifiable data establishing the identities of those seen in the footage, the police claimed in the report. Investigators also noted that the video carried a 2019 timestamp.
The police said they inspected the alleged scene in the presence of the local Village Administrative Officer and residents. The report stated that there were no CCTV cameras at the premises and that cameras in the surrounding area were not functioning.
Veeramani denied knowing the man in the video and disputed the location shown in the footage. Domestic workers and neighbours questioned by the police also said they could not identify the persons seen in the video.
However, after the special court rejected the attempt to drop further action, the revived probe led the police to identify the girl in the video. She identified herself and Veeramani, and her statement was recorded before a magistrate, said police sources.
According to the complaint, a note accompanying the pen drive claimed that the man in the video was Veeramani and that the footage had been recorded at a house associated with his acquaintance Shanthi in Chennai.
The renewed investigation has also resulted in the identification of several other survivors, some of whom were minors when the alleged offences took place. The police are now examining whether the abuse extended over several years.
Ex-aide arrested as cops widen probe, summon another tycoon for grilling
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Chennai Police have arrested a former employee at granite baron “Gem” Veeramani’s firm in connection with the investigation into the Pocso case against the businessman.
The arrested person was identified as Ganesan, who had worked with Veeramani for 23 years and is now employed at another export-import company.
Ganesan allegedly had a video of Veeramani engaging in an inappropriate act with a minor girl and hid the information from the police. Ganesan was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody. Further investigation is underway to determine how Ganesan came into possession of the video and why he did not alert the police.
The investigation net has widened further, and police have summoned another businessman for questioning. The number of persons arrested in the case has now risen to four, with police now casting a wider net and summoning more persons.
So far, Police have reached out to multiple victims who were sexually abused by the businessman over a period of time. Veeramani (84) and his two associates were arrested by the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) on August 29 for the alleged sexual abuse of a minor girl.
A pen drive with the video of an elderly man sexually abusing a minor girl was sent to the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Unit (ITPU) in October 2025.