Chennai Police have said fresh details have emerged in the case involving ‘Gem Granites’ Veeramani, with investigators alleging that his close friend Shanti (61) threatened to expose private videos and extracted money from him.
According to police officials, Veeramani had placed significant trust in Shanti and had arranged a rented luxury bungalow for her and her husband Mahendra Simhan (63) in Teynampet. Investigators allege Shanti later used the situation to gradually demand money, and when payments stopped, she allegedly began threatening to release the videos.
Police further claimed the dispute pushed Veeramani into selling a land parcel on Chennai’s ECR, said to be worth around Rs 100 crore, for about Rs 70 crore. They said a lawyer spoke to Shanti seeking her withdrawal from the matter, and that the name of a political leader from the southern districts was also invoked. The role of Congress Tamil Nadu functionary Ranjan Kumar and Tamilaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader John Pandian is also being examined, including whether money changed hands to suppress the issue.
Ranjan Kumar, who heads the Congress SC/ST wing in Tamil Nadu, said he came to know Shanti through a real estate-related matter and later visited her home after she sought help over a money dispute. He claimed Shanti’s husband had recorded videos using a hidden camera, and that he recorded the footage on his phone when it was played on a TV.
He said he facilitated a meeting between Shanti and John Pandian, during which he learned that Shanti had allegedly obtained large sums by threatening Veeramani, after which he distanced himself. He also claimed he submitted a complaint with video evidence to a senior Chennai Police officer in November 2024, and later handed over materials to an officer from the Central Crime Branch. He expressed shock that a POCSO case was registered in October 2025 and later closed citing lack of evidence.
