SIT arrests manager for helping Veeramani evade legal action

CHENNAI: As the probe into multiple Pocso cases against granite baron Veeramani continues, the Special Investigation Team has arrested a manager at Gem Granites for helping Veeramani evade legal action.

The SIT arrested the manager, identified as Sakthivel, after police teams carried out intensive searches at Veeramani's house on Lloyds Road, his farmhouse at Kanathur and his office on October 11 and seized key documents and digital evidence related to the cases.

Investigators are probing financial transactions routed through Sakthivel allegedly to help Veeramani evade legal action, according to an official statement.

Meanwhile, the SIT has registered seven cases against Veeramani. Last week, the police arrested three drivers linked to Veeramani identified as Lasar, Parthiban and Babu. Lasar was with the businessman for 23 years, while the two others were employed with Veeramani for eight years. Earlier, Greater Chennai Police (GCP) Commissioner A Amalraj had issued orders directing that Veeramani and two of his associates, Mahendra Simhan (63) and Shanthi (60), be detained under the Goondas Act. Veeramani, who ran GEM Granites and Group of companies and his associates have been in prison since August 29.

Another person, Ganesan (42), a former employee of Veeramani, was arrested for being in possession of a video of Veeramani sexually abusing a minor and not alerting the police. The case was eventually transferred to an all-women Special Investigation Team (SIT), supervised by Commissioner A Amalraj.

A pendrive with the video was sent to the city police's Immoral Trafficking Prevention Unit in October 2025, and a case was registered on October 7, 2025. However, a closure report was filed by the city police in February 2026 stating that the video was unclear. This was rejected by the special court judge, after which the police began the investigation again and identified the man in the video as Veeramani.

Police said that survivors are also approaching them through the SIT's WhatsApp helpline, 9345319676.