Congress MP says he told Chennai police about Veeramani allegations in 2022 as probe widens

# What happened

# Timeline and key events

• A complaint filed publicly in October 2025 by an NGO volunteer triggered a Central Crime Branch (CCB) probe and later searches. According to police accounts, a pendrive containing a video was handed over on October 6, 2025, and an FIR was lodged the next day.

• MP Ranjan Kumar (Tamil Nadu Congress Committee's Scheduled Caste Department president) has told media he approached Chennai police about Veeramani as early as November 2022. The police have not publicly responded to his claim in this report.

• The initial police investigation examined a digital video recorder and concluded it could not recover original footage, could not identify the girl in the video, and recommended dropping further action. The special court rejected that recommendation and ordered a fresh probe in July 2026.

• On August 29, 2026, police named the person in the video as R. Veeramani and said several minor girls had been brought to the house and sexually assaulted. Veeramani (84) and two associates, Shanthi and Mahendra Simhan, were arrested that day under provisions for sexual offences against minors.

• On September 22, 2026, a further arrest was made: Ganesan, who worked for Veeramani's company for 23 years, was remanded to Puzhal Central prison on charges of withholding the incriminating video without informing law enforcement.

# Evidence and investigation status

Police have identified seven more minor victims so far. The girls were reportedly between ages 12 and 16 at the time of the alleged offences and were lured with small amounts of money, sports shoes, chocolates and mobile phones. A senior police official indicated investigators believe the alleged exploitation may span more than two decades, with some incidents possibly occurring before 2003. The official declined to disclose the number of additional victims.

# Legal and public implications

A special court's decision to reject the police recommendation to drop the matter was pivotal in reopening the case. The arrests and recent searches followed the court-ordered reinvestigation and the recovery of original evidence. Separately, political reactions and allegations about earlier police handling have emerged, including the Congress leader's claim that he alerted police in 2022.

# What remains open

• The Chennai police have not issued a public response in this report to the claim that a complaint was filed in 2022 by MP Ranjan Kumar.

• Investigators are examining whether additional victims exist and are probing incidents that could predate 2003.

• The scope of seized digital material and its forensic analysis will affect further charges and prosecutions.

# Bottom line