Three drivers suspected of taking minor girls to granite baron Veeramani arrested

The Central Crime Branch has arrested three longtime drivers of Gem Granites founder R Veeramani, accusing them of bringing minor girls to him and helping facilitate sexual offences that are now the subject of five separate cases, police said.

The three men – Lazar, Parthiban and Babu – were arrested on Monday after the Anti-Vice Squad and the Special Investigation Team questioned them earlier. Their arrests bring the number of people held in connection with the widening investigation to seven.

Police alleged that the drivers had been assigned to escort minor girls from their homes to a guest house used by Veeramani in Teynampet, where some of the alleged offences took place. Police said Lazar worked for Veeramani for 23 years and Babu for eight years.

Parthiban was also employed as his driver, though the duration of his employment is unclear. Investigators searched the residences of the three men and seized eight mobile phones and 55 documents, which are being examined.

“The trio were arrested in connection with the five cases already filed so far. So no fresh FIR has been registered,” an officer part of the investigation said. Five cases involving allegations of sexual abuse of minors have now been registered against Veeramani and other accused.

The latest was registered on October 2, and investigations are continuing in all five. Veeramani, 84, was arrested on August 29 along with M Shanthi, 60, and her husband, Mahendra Simhan, 63. Police accuse Veeramani of sexually assaulting minor girls and allege that Shanthi and Simhan abetted him.

The three were initially remanded in judicial custody at Puzhal Central Prison and were detained under the Goondas Act on October 1. A fourth accused, Ganesan, a former employee of Veeramani, was subsequently arrested after investigators allegedly found video clips involving a minor girl in his possession.

The investigation began after a child rights activist approached Chennai police on October 6, 2025, with a pen drive containing footage purportedly showing Veeramani sexually assaulting a minor. Police registered an FIR the following day.

But in February this year, police filed a “further action dropped” report seeking to close the case after saying they had been unable to identify the girl. A Special POCSO Court rejected that report and ordered further investigation.

The probe gathered pace again after a woman came forward identifying herself as the girl in the video and Veeramani as the alleged perpetrator. Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express.

Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.

Expertise Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.

Key Coverage Areas: State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.

Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties. Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.

Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail. His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.

Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More