Fresh case against GEM Veeramani over minor’s suicide after alleged rape

The complaint comes weeks after Veeramani was arrested in a POCSO case involving the alleged sexual abuse of a minor girl.
Gem Granites owner R Veeramani
Gem Granites owner R Veeramani
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A fresh case has been registered against GEM Granites founder R Veeramani after a woman from Chennai filed a complaint alleging that her minor daughter was sexually assaulted by him more than a decade ago and that she later died by suicide.

According to the woman’s complaint to the Chennai Police Commissioner, she was introduced to Veeramani through a person in her area. Veeramani allegedly offered to support her daughter’s education. Her daughter, who was 16 and studying in Class 12, subsequently began visiting Veeramani’s house, the mother alleged.

The woman alleged that Veeramani sexually assaulted her daughter and that the girl was left deeply distressed following her visits to his house. She later died by suicide in 2016, the complaint stated.

The complaint comes weeks after Veeramani was arrested in a POCSO case involving the alleged sexual abuse of a minor girl. 

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The mother has now approached the Chennai Police Commissioner seeking a probe into her daughter’s death and the alleged sexual assault, as well as investigation of the police officials who, she alleged, failed to act on her earlier complaint.

The woman also alleged that Veeramani’s associate Shanthi attempted to pacify her following her daughter’s death.

According to the woman, she continued to seek information about the complaint from the police, but they told her that the documents relating to her daughter’s case was destroyed when the Ice House Police Station was set on fire during the violence surrounding the Jallikattu protests in January 2017.

Unable to afford a prolonged legal battle, she said she could not pursue the matter further. The complaint has now been revived after Veeramani’s arrest in the ongoing POCSO investigation.

Veeramani was arrested by the Central Crime Branch’s Anti-Vice Squad on August 29 in a case concerning the alleged sexual assault of a minor girl.

He was arrested along with Shanthi and her husband Mahendra Simhan, who police allege facilitated the alleged offence. The three were subsequently remanded in judicial custody and lodged in Puzhal prison.

The case began after a pen drive containing a video allegedly showing a minor girl being sexually assaulted was handed over to the Anti-Vice Squad in October 2025. 

Police initially sought to close the case after they were unable to identify or trace the girl. 

However, a Special POCSO Court rejected the closure report and directed the police to continue the investigation. The subsequent probe led to the identification of the survivor and the arrests.

The investigation has since widened, with police recording statements from other women and minor girls who have made allegations against Veeramani. 

A former employee, Ganesan, was also arrested after police found alleged video clips involving a minor girl on his phone and began investigating why the material had not been reported to the authorities.

A special investigation team (SIT) has also been formed to investigate the matter.

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