Granite Baron R. Veeramani arrested in sexual abuse case involving minor girls.
Granite industry businessman R. Veeramani, Chairman of the Gem Group and Chairman and Managing Director of the Chennai-based Gem Granites, has been arrested by the Chennai Police for sexual offences on minor girls. Two other individuals, Shanthi and her husband Mahendra Simhan, have also been arrested and are now in judicial custody.
The arrests are a major development in a case that was first registered in October 2025 and has been under investigation for nearly a year. Police officials said a Chennai-based activist came to the Anti-Vice Squad with a pen drive containing video footage of a sexual offence against a minor girl.
Police said an unidentified person had delivered the pen drive to the activist's office. After watching the footage, the Central Crime Branch's Anti-Vice Squad registered a case on October 7, 2025.
During the investigation, officers identified the man seen in the video as R. Veeramani. The police then began investigating and gathered more evidence.
Veeramani had rented a house in Chennai's Teynampet area and entrusted its management to Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan, the Chennai Police said. Investigators suspect that several minor girls were brought to the property and that offences may have taken place there.
Another video associated with a separate incident involving a minor girl was also recovered, officials said. The material was part of the evidence collected in the case, and investigators said it made up the evidence in the investigation.
Police searched the accused's homes and offices. There, investigators found photos of girls and women they believed to be relevant to the case and other materials that may help in the ongoing investigation, investigators said.
The police have claimed that Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan enabled access to the property but also helped cover up the alleged crimes. Both have been charged in the case.
The arrests came after a POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court declined to close the case. The court's ruling is believed to have paved the way for the continuation of the investigation and further legal action.
But some questions remain unanswered. The police statement has not said why arrests were made nearly a year after the case was initially registered. It has also not explained whether all alleged survivors have been identified or if the allegations have been independently verified by forensic examination, witness testimony, or medical examination.
Investigators are still looking into the case, and more evidence is being examined, and other investigations are being undertaken.
As of the time of this report, neither Gem Granites nor Veeramani's family or lawyers had an official response to the allegations. Attempts to reach out to the company and those connected to the accused were unsuccessful.
As the case goes through the legal system, investigators are going to have to go through the evidence, and courts must decide what to do. But the allegations are still under investigation, and the accused have the right to due process under the law until the matter is decided by the courts.
