Sri Vijaya Puram, November 14: Chennai Police have begun excavating the backyard of a granite businessman’s residence following a driver’s allegation that the bodies of children were buried on the property, adding a serious new dimension to an investigation into multiple cases of alleged child sexual abuse.
The search at the Royapettah residence of R. Veeramani began on Saturday morning. Police are examining the premises to verify the driver’s claim. It was not immediately known whether investigators had recovered any human remains.
Veeramani faces allegations of sexually abusing several children in cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The alleged burial of bodies remains an unverified claim and is being examined separately as part of the ongoing investigation.
The special investigation team (SIT) is also investigating whether Veeramani’s former drivers and associates helped bring children to properties linked to him. Their alleged role forms part of the wider probe into the complaints against the businessman.
In a separate development, the SIT has filed a 720-page chargesheet before the special court dealing with POCSO cases. The document names 49 witnesses and concerns one of seven fresh cases registered after the team was constituted.
The seven cases followed complaints from survivors or their mothers and involve allegations concerning nine children. The chargesheet relates specifically to a case registered on September 27, after the mother of a minor survivor lodged a complaint.
According to an official statement, two drivers, identified as Parthiban and Babu, allegedly took the child to a property linked to Veeramani, where he is accused of sexually abusing her.
In this case, the SIT has invoked provisions of the POCSO Act as well as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The chargesheet represents a prosecution-related development in the September 27 case, while investigators continue to examine the other complaints and the alleged involvement of people associated with Veeramani.
The excavation, meanwhile, seeks to establish whether the driver’s allegation about buried bodies has any factual basis. The search findings, along with evidence gathered in the sexual abuse cases, will form part of the investigation into the separate allegations.
