The Chennai police have identified the minor girl allegedly sexually assaulted by Gem Granites and Gem group of companies founder R Veeramani. Chennai police received a video of the assault in October 2025, but arrested Veeramani only ten months later in August 2026. The survivor’s statement has now been recorded before a Judicial Magistrate, marking a major breakthrough in the POCSO case that the Chennai police had earlier attempted to close.
The police had earlier tried to drop the investigation claiming that the survivor’s identity could not be confirmed. However, a Special Court judge for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) refused to accept the police’s closure report, forcing the Chennai police to reopen the case, leading to Veeramani’s arrest.
According to police sources, the survivor in her statement identified herself and Veeramani in the video. Since she belongs to a Scheduled Caste community, provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, have also been invoked in the case.
The police are now preparing to file a chargesheet in the case. Police sources said that there are more survivors whom Veeramani allegedly sexually assaulted. They said the process of identification is currently underway and their statements too will be recorded before the court.
During the course of the investigation, the police have also found that apart from Shanthi’s residence in Teynampet, Veeramani allegedly abused minor girls at multiple locations, including his house, his office and a guest house in the outskirts of Chennai, according to police sources.
Shanthi and her husband Mahendra Simhan, managing director of Gem Software Solutions have been long-time associates of Veeramani. The duo were arrested by Chennai police on August 29, on charges of destroying evidence and failing to report the crime,
Special teams are now examining the circumstances in which the girls were brought to these locations and the role of others who allegedly facilitated the offence.
The police have also found that Shanthi used to take children whose education was funded by Veeramani’s charitable organisation for shopping and to star hotels, sources said.
Mostly, families and minor girls from poor backgrounds were targeted and enticed by Veeramani, who seems to have been sexually abusing minor girls for a very long time, police said.
Background of the case
Veeramani, founder of GEM Granites and the GEM Group of Companies, was arrested in the POCSO case on August 29 along with Mahendra Simhan, managing director of Gem Software Solutions, and his wife Shanthi. Police have alleged that the couple facilitated Veeramani’s offences and were involved in the handling or destruction of evidence.
The case dates back to October 6, 2025, when a child rights activist approached the Anti-Vice Squad of the Chennai police with a pen drive containing visuals of a minor being sexually assaulted. According to the police, the person who handed over the pen drive claimed that the man in the video was Veeramani and that the assault had taken place at a house associated with Shanthi.
The footage carried a CCTV timestamp dating back to 2019. An FIR was registered under the POCSO Act and Veeramani and Shanthi were questioned. Both denied the allegations and claimed that the man in the video was not Veeramani.
However, the investigation failed to identify or locate the girl. In February 2026, the Anti-Vice Squad filed a closure report before the Special POCSO Court, stating that the identity of the child could not be established and that there was insufficient evidence to proceed.
The Special POCSO Court rejected the closure report and ordered further investigation, questioning how the police could fail to establish the crime scene despite having the video. The investigation was subsequently reopened in July, 2026.
The fresh investigation led to searches at Mahendra Simhan’s residence in Teynampet, where police recovered what they described as the original visuals of the alleged sexual assault from a gadget. Investigators also found indications of an attempt to destroy evidence. The seized devices have been sent for forensic examination.
The earlier closure report mentioned the inability to identify the girl, the absence of CCTV data and statements from people living or working near Shanthi’s residence. The report also noted that a cyber expert could not retrieve the original recording from the DVR, citing the passage of six years.