Jaya's support system: Where are they now?

Many people would not know who Veeraperumal and Rani are, but thousands have seen their faces, especially Veeraperumal, her security guard.

A number of attempts were made to contact the guards, since they had been with her through thick and thin, were there when she thundered or fumbled on stage.

Clad in safari suits, they were at hand when she got into her vehicle whenever she stepped out of home.

DTNext managed to obtain the mobile number of the security guard Veeraperumal. His WhatsApp picture showed him clad in police khakhis, standing behind Jayalalithaa.

However, for the last one year, repeated attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful, since he neither responds to WhatsApp messages nor answers the call. The other fly-on-the-wall in Jayalalithaa’s house is Rani. Nobody knows the whereabouts of this house help who has worked at the Poes Garden for a long time and is therefore said to be privy to most of what happened there.

Till the time of Jayalaltihaa’s hospitalisation and death, she was unobtrusive and merged with the surroundings - the reason she was trusted by both Jayalalithaa and Sasikala. In fact, she spent time with Sasikala in Apollo, when Jayalalithaa was hospitalised. However, after the latter’s demise her whereabouts have become a mystery, as no one knows where she has gone. Though party men were aware of her and even knew her name, they knew her only as a person who had access to all rooms in Veda Nilayam, Jayalalithaa’s residence. Party sources revealed that nobody ever interacted with her as there had been no need to do so. They came to meet Sasikala – Jayalalithaa’s major domo – but were aware of Rani’s presence then. Now, no one knows where she is.