Three more minor girls approach SIT against granite baron Veeramani in abuse case
Three more minor girls approach SIT against granite baron Veeramani in abuse case Chennai, Sep 26 (IANS) Three more girls have approached the all-women Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing sexual abuse allegations against GEM Granites owner R. Veeramani. Reports now put the number of complainants at 15, widening the investigation into allegations involving girls who were minors at the time of the alleged offences. Veeramani, 85, is lodged in Chennai’s Puzhal prison after his arrest under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Two other accused, Shanthi, 61, and her husband Mahendra Simman, 63, have also been arrested. Investigators are examining allegations that videos of Veeramani with minors were recorded and used in an attempt to extort crores of rupees. The allegations against all three remain under investigation. The SIT is headed by Thenmozhi, an Additional Commissioner in Chennai’s Central Crime Branch. Its other members are Disha Mittal, Joint Commissioner for crimes against women and children, Superintendent of Police Mutharasi and Deputy Commissioner Geethanjali. The team has urged other women and girls who may have been affected, to come forward with complaints. The new complaints have also renewed questions about how the case was handled earlier. Police had sought to close the initial POCSO investigation, but a special court rejected that move and directed further enquiry. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has since called for action against anyone found to have delayed or suppressed the case. Political opponents have accused the previous DMK government of covering up Veeramani’s alleged offences. That is an allegation, not an established finding. Former DMK minister S. Regupathy has denied that the party had any connection with Veeramani and said those responsible should be punished. The question of who authorised the earlier attempt to close the case, and why, remains a matter for investigation. For the SIT, the immediate task is to record the new complainants’ accounts, examine the available evidence and determine whether further offences or accused persons should be added to the case. The complainants’ identities are being withheld because the allegations involve sexual offences against minors.
