GEM Granites POCSO Case: Timeline of events and how the Investigation failed under DMK government:
Oct 6, 2025: Child-rights activist hands Anti-Vice Squad a pen drive containing footage of a minor being sexually assaulted. The man is identified as R. Veeramani of GEM Granites, with the location linked to Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan’s Teynampet property.
Oct 7, 2025: Police register a POCSO case and question Veeramani, Shanthi and Mahendra. All deny the allegations and Veeramani denies being the man in the video.
• The video footage carries a 2019 CCTV timestamp, making the incident several years old. Police need to establish the survivor’s identity, location and authenticity of the footage.
• Police say they can neither trace the girl nor identify her.
• Police then question people around the Teynampet property and investigate those connected to it. They say they find insufficient independent evidence linking the accused to the offence.
• Police then try to trace the origin of the pen drive, but the trail reportedly goes nowhere because relevant CCTV footage is unavailable.
• Police conclusion: Investigators say they have the video but cannot identify the survivor, recover the original CCTV or find sufficient corroborating evidence.
• Feb 18, 2026: Anti-Vice Squad files a “further action dropped”/closure report before the Special POCSO Court.
• Court rejects closure: The Special POCSO Court rejects the report and questions the investigation, including how the crime scene could not be established despite the footage.
• Further investigation: Court orders police to continue the investigation, triggering a fresh probe. Govt change happens.
July 2026 : Fresh investigation begins. Police revisit the Teynampet property, conduct renewed searches and examine electronic evidence more extensively.
• Police recover a gadget containing original visuals of the assault.
• Police subsequently say they establish that Veeramani is the man in the footage.
Aug 29, 2026: Veeramani, Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan are arrested.
Sept 17, 2026: Police announce they have finally identified the girl in the original video. Her statement is recorded before a Judicial Magistrate, and she identifies herself and Veeramani.
Why the handling is under scrutiny:
1. What was done during the first investigation?
2. Why the case was considered unprovable?
3. How did the TVK govt’s probe found evidence that was previously said to be unavailable?
While the key questions remain, the police have now ordered an internal inquiry into the handling and delay.