Chennai, Granite baron R Veeramani was booked for abetting the suicide of a minor girl in 2004 and charged under the POSCO Act following fresh allegations of sexually assaulting several minor girls, police said here on Wednesday.
Police alleged that Veeramani kept minor children at Shanthi’s residence to assault them and that Shanthi attempted to destroy evidence. Opposing bail before POCSO Special Court Judge S Padma, police expressed concerns over witness tampering and evidence destruction, noting that seized electronic devices are being examined to determine if other minors were targeted.
Following the message, a Special Investigation Team consisting of senior women police officers was formed to verify its authenticity, according to police. Meanwhile, a Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act Court in Chennai on Tuesday reserved its orders on the bail petitions of co-accused Shanthi and her husband Mahendra Simhan .
The decades-old case resurfaced after investigators accessed a text message asking Veeramani if he remembered his involvement in the victim’s death, prompting a fresh complaint from the girl’s mother alleging that her daughter died by suicide following sexual abuse by Veeramani, founder of Gem Granites. Police are also verifying allegations that the accused paid ₹ 1 lakh to the 2004 victim’s family on two occasions and have initiated steps to freeze suspect bank accounts containing over ₹ 20 crore.
Already a POSCO case has been booked against Veeramani and now a fresh case has been registered following a complaint from the victim’s mother, sources said.
