Chennai, Oct. 24:
Archana Veeramani, daughter of jailed granite businessman R Veeramani, was taken into custody by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) at Chennai International Airport on Friday, moments before she was due to leave for Singapore.
According to sources, Archana had completed immigration formalities and boarded a flight scheduled to depart at 2.20 pm when officials stopped her following an alert from the SIT. The action is part of an investigation into alleged financial transactions suspected to have been carried out to protect her father from prosecution in cases registered against him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
R Veeramani, 84, chairman of Gem Granites, is lodged in Puzhal Central Prison. He faces at least seven POCSO cases relating to the alleged sexual abuse of several minor girls. The SIT is also examining his alleged connection to the suicide of a minor in 2004.
Investigators suspect Archana may have crucial information about a series of cash and gold transactions allegedly intended to conceal the abuse allegations and shield Veeramani from legal action after the first complaint was filed in November 2024.
Police are also searching for Archana’s brother, Prakash, in connection with the suspected financial transactions, sources said. Authorities have reportedly initiated a Blue Corner Notice for another associate believed to have fled to the United Kingdom.
Archana’s detention marks an expansion of the SIT’s financial probe alongside its investigation into the cases against Veeramani. The search for her brother and the other associate is continuing, according to sources.