{
  "id": 10895573,
  "title": "R Veeramani Booked Over 2004 Minor Suicide, Faces Fresh POCSO Case & Sexual Abuse Allegations As Chennai SIT Probes Money Trail",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/r-veeramani-booked-over-2004-minor-suicide-faces-fresh-pocso-case",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T08:05:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/r-veeramani-booked-over-2004-minor-suicide-faces-fresh-pocso-case-sexual-abuse-allegations-as-chennai-sit-probes-money-trail"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chennai: Renowned granite magnate R Veeramani, 84, has been booked for allegedly abetting the suicide of a minor girl in 2004 and faces fresh charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The allegations emerged after investigators accessed a text message asking Veeramani if he remembered his involvement in the victim's death, leading to a complaint from the girl's mother alleging that her daughter died by suicide after sexual abuse by Veeramani. A Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising senior women police officers, has been formed to verify the allegations. The victim's mother lodged an official complaint stating that her daughter had been sexually abused by Veeramani before taking her own life in 2004. Police claim that Veeramani kept minor children at Shanthi's residence to assault them, and Shanthi attempted to destroy evidence. Financial transactions totaling Rs 24.63 crore were transferred from Veeramani's account to Shanthi, with Rs 2 crore moved to her husband Mahendra Simhan. Police are investigating allegations of payment of Rs 1 lakh to the victim's family on two occasions. Bail petitions of co-accused Shanthi and her husband were reserved by the POCSO Special Court in Chennai. Police expressed concerns over witness tampering and evidence destruction, while defense counsel argued that the arrest was improper and further custody unnecessary. The SIT is expected to file its charge sheet soon.",
  "summary": "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. Also Watch: The decades-old case resurfaced after investigators accessed a text message asking Veeramani (84) if he remembered his involvement in the victim's death,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}