CHENNAI: Two days after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) filed the first charge sheet in one of the Pocso cases registered against Gem Granites chairman R Veeramani, the SIT conducted an excavation at his Royapettah house on Saturday to ascertain whether the body of a minor girl was buried on the premises.
The excavation with an earthmover, which lasted nearly six hours amid high tension, ended without the police recovering or seizing anything, according to a statement handed over to the family by a tahsildar upon completion.
The excavation was reportedly carried out based on a statement made by one of the minor survivors before the magistrate at the Pocso court in one of the cases. A senior police officer said another minor survivor also told the court that she had heard that a minor girl was buried inside the house.
Meanwhile, police have arrested Bala, a former driver of Veeramani, in one of the cases. During the inquiry, he reportedly said he used to threaten minor girls against going near the swimming pool but was unaware of any girl being buried there, a senior police officer told TNIE.
Based on the statements of the two minors and Bala – and a case of abetment of suicide dating back to 2004 – the excavation was conducted on Saturday. It started around 10.30 am in the presence of around 30 police personnel, including SIT members, forensic department team members and revenue officials. A mobile forensic laboratory was also deployed.
An excavator was brought in to dig up the swimming pool located on the right side of the residence. The pool, which was around eight feet deep, was excavated to a depth of more than 10 feet, sources said. As the work continued, the media waited outside the gates of the house, while police and officials from other departments declined to share details.
Between 6 pm and 6.30 pm, the excavator, forensic teams, revenue officials and police personnel left the premises, bringing the operation to an end.
Local police personnel were stationed outside the house to manage the gathering crowd and regulate traffic, as vehicles slowed down while passing the premises.
Upon returning empty-handed, the police said that they did not want to leave any room for speculation, considering the sensitivity of the case.
The police said that Bala, the 10th to be arrested in the Veeramani cases, will be produced before the court and remanded after further inquiry.
Speaking to reporters after the excavating the swimming pool area, Veeramani’s advocate T Vignesh said, “The police did not serve a notice before beginning the excavation. Only while leaving did they hand over two handwritten papers. One stated that they were going to begin the excavation, while the other said the excavation has been completed and nothing was found.”
He also accused the SIT of harassing the family and alleged that Veeramani’s wife Raji Veeramani (72) sustained physical injuries after police twisted her hand while trying to take her mobile phone. “We will deal with this legally,” he added.
Vignesh said that Bala is a former driver who was employed with Veeramani about 3-4 years ago.
