Chennai:
Immigration authorities at the Chennai airport on Friday deboarded the daughter of jailed granite baron R Veeramani from a Singapore-bound flight minutes before take-off, following an alert from SIT probing POCSO cases against him.
Archana Veeramani, who had cleared immigration and boarded the 2.20 pm flight, was stopped as part of an expanding probe into alleged financial transactions aimed at shielding her father, officials said.
Veeramani, the 84-year-old chairman of Gem Granites, is currently lodged in Puzhal Central Prison. He faces at least seven cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for the alleged abuse of several juvenile girls.
The SIT is also investigating his connection to the 2004 suicide of a minor.
According to investigators, the SIT intervened in Archana's travel plans over suspicions that she possesses critical information regarding a trail of cash and gold transactions. These dealings were allegedly executed to cover up the abuse allegations and protect the octogenarian from prosecution after the initial complaint was filed in November 2024.
According to sources, police are also searching for her brother, Prakash, in connection with the suspected financial cover-up. Additionally, authorities have initiated a Blue Corner Notice for another associate believed to have fled to the United Kingdom, officials added.
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