Couple Arrested In Granite Baron R Veeramani Child Sex Abuse Case Seeks Bail

Shanti and her husband Mahendra Simhan, arrested in connection with the POCSO case involving Gem Granites chairman R Veeramani, have approached the Chennai Special POCSO Court seeking bail.

The couple, arrested on August 28 and remanded in Puzhal prison the following day, has argued that there are serious questions surrounding the case and that there is no possibility of them tampering with evidence.

The case was registered on October 7, 2025, during the previous DMK government, after police received a pen drive containing the purported video. The arrests, however, came nearly 11 months later, on August 29, 2026, after the TVK government took office and after the Special POCSO Court rejected the police closure report and ordered further investigation.

In their bail petitions, Shanti and Mahendra Simhan have questioned the delay in registering the case over an alleged incident said to have occurred in 2019. They point out that the complaint was given by a child-rights organisation on October 6, 2025, and the FIR was registered on October 7 - nearly six years after the alleged incident.

The couple has argued that there has been no explanation for this six-year delay, which, according to them, raises doubts about the case. They have also claimed that the complainant is neither the alleged survivor nor the parent or guardian of any alleged survivor.

A key argument in the bail plea is that the evidence is already with the police and investigating agencies.

The couple claims that no alleged survivor had been identified at the time of their arrest and that the witnesses in the case are largely police personnel and experts whose statements and other evidence are already in police custody. They therefore argue that there is no question of their influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence.

The couple has further pointed out that nearly three weeks have passed since their arrest, but the police have not sought their custodial interrogation. They contend that evidence relating to the alleged sexual abuse has already been collected and that continued incarceration is therefore unnecessary.

They have also told the court that they are willing to comply with any conditions imposed if granted bail.

Police Response

The police, however, have told the Special POCSO Court that the identities of the survivors who have been traced are being kept strictly confidential.

The police have also indicated that the reasons for the delay in the earlier stages of the investigation will be explained. The prosecution has maintained that there was no delay in sending the case for further investigation after the Special POCSO Court rejected the earlier closure report and directed a fresh probe.

Police had earlier claimed identifying the alleged perpetrator and tracing the girl seen in the video. The Special POCSO Court subsequently rejected the closure report on August 19 and ordered further investigation. A special team headed by an Assistant Commissioner was then formed. Police have since said that the survivor in the original video was identified and that her statement was recorded before a magistrate.

Police have also reported that several other women who were allegedly minors when the incidents occurred have been identified and their statements recorded before the Special POCSO Court.

How The Case Unfolded

The case centres on R Veeramani, founder of Gem Granites and chairman of the GEM Group. The investigation began after police received a video allegedly showing the sexual abuse of a minor at a house in Teynampet. Investigators subsequently identified the man in the video as Veeramani.

Police allege that Shanti and Mahendra Simhan were associated with the house and facilitated the alleged offences. The couple was arrested along with Veeramani and booked under provisions of the POCSO Act and the Information Technology Act.

The investigation widened after the Special POCSO Court rejected an earlier closure report on August 19 and directed further investigation. A special team was formed and police subsequently said they identified the survivor seen in the video and recorded her statement before a magistrate.

Police have also said that additional women, who were allegedly minors when the incidents took place, have been identified and their statements recorded before the Special POCSO Court.

The probe has since widened to include digital evidence and material relating to other alleged incidents. A former Gem Granites employee, Ganesan, was also arrested on September 22. Police allege that a video purportedly showing Veeramani with a minor was found on his mobile phone and that he failed to report it.