SIT deboards Gem Veeramani’s daughter from Singapore-bound flight, detains for questioning

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the POCSO cases against Gem Granites owner R Veeramani detained his daughter, Archana Veeramani, at Chennai International Airport on October 23 while she was preparing to fly to Singapore.

According to reports, Archana (49) had boarded an IndiGo flight scheduled to depart at 2.20 pm when the SIT team reached the airport and alerted authorities. She was asked to deboard the flight and the aircraft eventually departed for Singapore at 2.32 pm.

Following a brief interrogation at the airport, Archana was taken away in a police vehicle. She is expected to be questioned about alleged cash transactions and other attempts to cover up the cases against her father.

The detention comes amid an ongoing investigation into multiple cases registered against Veeramani under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The police have so far received complaints involving 11 minors and registered seven POCSO cases against him.

The investigation began after the Greater Chennai Police’s anti-vice squad received a pen drive containing video evidence allegedly showing sexual offences involving minor girls.

Based on the material, Veeramani and his associates Shanti and Mahendra Simhan were arrested on August 29.

Ganesan, another accused, was arrested on September 22 for allegedly possessing another video related to the offences and failing to inform the police about it. 

Further investigation led to the arrest of three drivers — Lasar, Parthiban and Babu — on October 5, who were allegedly involved in bringing minor girls to locations where Veeramani sexually abused them.

All have been arrested and lodged in Puzhal Central Prison and police are also searching for N Prakash, a former adviser to the Gem Group of Companies, who is currently absconding.

Besides the seven POCSO cases, Veeramani has also been booked in a case relating to the abetment of a minor’s suicide in 2004.

The SIT have also arrested Sakthivel, the manager of Gem Granites for allegedly facilitating financial transactions to help Veeramani evade legal action in the cases involving him. Eight persons have been arrested so far in this case.

Earlier this day, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) replaced Ranjan Kumar with Senthamil Selvan as the chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Congress's Scheduled Caste (SC) Department.

Ranjan Kumar had previously told TNM that he submitted a complaint to Chennai's South Additional Commissioner of Police Kannan in November 2024, alleging that Veeramani and his associate Shanthi were exploiting minor girls. He had sought action against them and alleged that no First Information Report (FIR) was registered on the basis of his complaint.

The police subsequently filed a closure report dated February 2026. However, a special POCSO court refused to close the case and directed the police to conduct further investigation.

The Tamil Nadu government later constituted an all-woman SIT to investigate the allegations of sexual offences against minors and related matters.