Granite Veeramani in child abuse racket

TAMIL NADU’S ‘EPSTEIN FILES’

Who is Veeramani?

1. He is a trained lawyer who practised for 11 years before entering granite business
2. His family owned just 2 acres of land in their village
3. He made a fortune in granite business which came to be known as ‘Gem red granite’
4. He owned about 1000 acres in IIkal in Karnataka and had exclusivity over the stone.
5. He had mines in MP and Gujarat as well
6. He headed multiple businesses chambers and industry bodies
7. His son and daughter are not interested in business

metro india news  I chennai

Veeramani in Tamil can be interpreted as ‘brave jewel’. Veera means brave or courageous and Mani a precious stone or a jewel. The 84-year-old Gem Granites founder R Veeramani did justice to the ‘Mani’ in his name by opening offices in 86 countries and turning into a pioneer in granite export but has fallen flat to the lowest depths after distressing reports of heinous crimes against minor girls have surfaced in Tamil Nadu in September 2026.

Veeramani, who, along with two others, was arrested late August for the sexual assault of a minor girl – visuals of which were in the possession of the Chennai police as early as October 2025 following a complaint by a child rights activist – is now facing multiple allegations of child sexual abuse, with several survivors (all of whom were aged 12-15 at the time of the incidents) having come forward and recorded their statements.

Why did it take so long to take action against the granite baron is anybody’s guess? He built contacts with the who’s who in Tamil Nadu since the last few decades. The present chief minister of Tamil Nadu, C Joseph Vijay on Friday accused the DMK of covering up the POCSO Act case against Gem Granites owner R Veeramani, though the case was registered when the party was in power.

The TVK-led government has consequently removed two senior IPS officers from their posts – A. Arun, ADGP, Tamil Nadu Police Academy, and N. Kannan, Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore – who were at the helm of the Chennai Police Commissionerate when the complaint first surfaced. A special investigation team (SIT), comprising women officials, has also been set up to probe the crime and related matters.

A complaint by a child rights activist had alerted the authorities in 2025 itself but the case came to light in 2026 and Veeramani is now facing multiple allegations of child sexual abuse, with several survivors (all of whom were aged 12-15 at the time of the incidents) having come forward and recorded their statements.

The Chennai police, meanwhile, are under fire for failing to take timely action against Veeramani and his co-accused Shanthi, 55, and Mahendra Simhan, 60 – whose bunglow was allegedly used by Veeramani to commit the crime – and filing a report before a court, recommending that further action be dropped. The report, however, was rejected by the court, resulting in the current investigation.

The case caught the attention of one and all after a pen drive containin video evidence surfaced later expanded after a special POCSO court rejected an attempt to close the probe. Police have since identified additional alleged victims and are examining digital and financial evidence, while also investigating how the earlier probe was handled. Veeramani has been described by some media reports as “Tamil Nadu’s Epstein.”

All-woman SIT formed to probe the case

The Tamil Nadu government has formed a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the POCSO case against granite industrialist R. Veeramani, 84. All four members of the team are women police officers.

An order issued by Tamil Nadu Director General of Police Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal on September 24 said the SIT was formed to conduct an effective investigation into the case and related matters.

The team includes P.C. Thenmozhi, Additional Commissioner of Police, CCB, Chennai; Disha Mittal, Joint Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, West; J. Mutharasi, Superintendent of Police; and V.V. Geethanjali, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Against Women and Children.

The SIT will function under the direct supervision of Chennai Police Commissioner A. Amalraj.

Meanwhile, the Chennai POCSO Special Court extended Veeramani’s judicial custody till October 9. He has been in custody since August 29. Due to security concerns, he was produced before Special Judge S. Padma through video conference.