R Veeramani Faces Third POCSO Case Over 2004 Death Of Class 11 Student

Tamil Nadu police have registered a third case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against granite businessman R Veeramani on a complaint that was related to the death of a class 11 student in 2004.

The case was registered after the girl's mother approached the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and alleged that her daughter had been sexually abused by Veeramani before she died by suicide.

The 84-year-old Veeramani is already in judicial custody on charges of sexual abuse of minor girls and is under police custody. The new complaint extends the current investigation.

Mother Tells SIT About Daughter's Alleged Abuse

According to the complaint, the girl was studying at a school in a Chennai neighbourhood and had received financial assistance from Veeramani for her education.

The mother told investigators that Veeramani had invited her daughter to his guest house in 2004. She was said to have become reclusive after being let back in and then self destructed.

The mother also told the SIT that a complaint was filed with the police after the death of her daughter but that it did not seem to have been taken seriously at the time.

She appeared before the SIT on September 28 and subsequently submitted a formal complaint, following which the fresh POCSO case was registered.

Old Case Resurfaces During SIT Probe

The two-decade-old case reportedly came to the investigators' attention after they examined a text message asking Veeramani whether he remembered his involvement in the girl's death.

The SIT began checking the contents of the message and eventually identified the girl and traced her family.

Investigators later contacted her mother, who provided details about the alleged abuse and the circumstances surrounding her daughter's death.

However, police have faced difficulties in obtaining the original records of the 2004 suicide case. Investigators reportedly found that the documents kept at the local police station had been destroyed after portions of the station were damaged by fire during the 2017 Jallikattu protests.

Police are also examining an allegation that Rs 1 lakh was paid to the victim's family on two occasions.

Investigation Into Wider Abuse Allegations

The latest case is part of a larger SIT investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving Veeramani and several minor girls.

The first POCSO case against him was registered in October 2025 and was subsequently closed without an enquiry in February 2026, according to the report. After fresh allegations emerged, another POCSO case was registered earlier this month.

Investigators are also examining the alleged role of Shanthi, who is accused of facilitating access to minor girls and attempting to destroy evidence. These allegations remain subject to investigation.

Police are examining financial transactions linked to the accused and their associates. According to investigators, Rs 24.63 crore was transferred from Veeramani's account to Shanthi, while another Rs 2 crore was transferred to her husband, Mahendra Simhan.

SIT Appeals For Information

A Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal constituted an all women SIT to probe into the allegations in detail. It is being supervised by the Chennai Police commissioner A Amalraj.

Police have sent out a plea to anyone with information, documents or other evidence linking them to the case to reach police investigators either by phone or WhatsApp at 9345319676. The names of informants will not be disclosed.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also taken suo motu cognisance of the charges and stated that its fact-finding team would go to Chennai to investigate the case.

Veeramani Remains In Judicial Custody

A special POCSO court has extended Veeramani's judicial custody until October 9. He has been in custody since his arrest on August 29 in connection with the earlier case.

The latest FIR does not establish the allegations against Veeramani as proven. The claims, including those concerning the 2004 death, are now part of the ongoing investigation and will have to be examined through the legal process.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susmita Modak

[email protected]

Always love to raise the unraised matter. In a world of worries, I am always ready to come over my comfort zone and taking the step ahead of spreading awareness.

Read More