Chennai Police Arrest Three Former Employees in Veeramani POCSO Case

October 6, 2026

Chennai (Tamil Nadu): The Greater Chennai Police have arrested three former employees of Gem Granites owner R Veeramani in connection with alleged abetment in cases being investigated under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said.

The suspects have been identified as drivers Lasar, Babu and Parthiban, who had worked under Veeramani at Gem Granite for several years. Police said they were arrested following allegations that they acted as abettors in the cases.

Following the investigation, police conducted searches at the residences of the three men and seized eight mobile phones and 55 documents.

Three Former Employees Arrested in POCSO Probe

The case initially came to light after a pen drive containing videos allegedly depicting sexual offences was recovered, leading to the initial apprehension of Veeramani. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was subsequently formed on the orders of the Director General of Police/Head of Police Force (DGP/HoPF), Tamil Nadu, to investigate the POCSO cases, police said.

With the registration of another case on October 2, 2026, the total number of active POCSO cases pending against Veeramani has risen to five.

Police said four cases against Veeramani were already pending, while another case was registered on October 2. During the investigation into the five cases, the three men identified as Lasar, Babu and Parthiban were arrested on October 5, police said.

Further investigation is underway.

Goondas Act Invoked Against Veeramani, Two Others

Earlier in October, the Goondas Act was invoked against Gem Granites owner R Veeramani and two others, Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan, who were arrested in connection with a POCSO case, police said.

The preventive detention orders against the three were issued by the Chennai City Police Commissioner.

Veeramani, Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan were arrested following allegations of sexual offences against minors. The case was subsequently taken up for investigation by an SIT constituted by the Tamil Nadu Police.

The SIT has been probing the allegations against the accused and examining complaints received in connection with the case.

The three accused are currently in judicial custody, and further investigation is underway.

Probe Into Alleged Sexual Assault of Minor Girls

The case relates to allegations of sexual assault involving minor girls. Police had initially registered the case after receiving a USB drive containing a video allegedly showing a minor girl being sexually assaulted at a guest house in Teynampet.

The accused businessman was arrested on August 29 along with two other alleged accused. A POCSO Special Court subsequently granted three days of custody for his interrogation. Considering his age and health, the questioning was conducted inside Puzhal prison under video recording by the Central Crime Branch’s Anti-Vice Squad.

Police later identified seven additional minor girls allegedly linked to the case, and their statements were recorded before the Special Court dealing with POCSO cases.

After one survivor was found to belong to a Scheduled Caste community, provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were also added to the case.

The Tamil Nadu government directed police to intensify the investigation and identify and take action against everyone found to be connected with the alleged offences.

A special team comprising women police Sub-Inspectors has also been formed to identify minor girls appearing in the video and assist in the ongoing probe.

The Central Crime Branch has been examining the earlier investigation and the circumstances surrounding the closure of the case.

Further investigation is underway.