The minor girl at the centre of the alleged sexual abuse case against granite businessman R Veeramani has finally been traced, and has identified herself and Veeramani in the video that first led to the case, senior police officers said.Her statement has now been recorded before a Judicial Magistrate, marking the most significant breakthrough since Veeramani, founder of GEM Granites and chairman of the GEM Group of Companies, and two of his associates were arrested last month. Earlier this year, the Chennai police had cited their inability to identify the girl as grounds to close the investigation, only for a POCSO court to intervene.The investigation has also widened beyond the girl seen in the original video. Police claim to have identified other women and minor girls who they suspect may have been sexually assaulted by Veeramani over a period of years.The developments have also turned attention back to the trajectory of the case: Chennai police possessed the video and registered an FIR in October 2025, but subsequently said they could not identify the girl, sought to drop further action. They revived the investigation only after a Special POCSO Court refused to accept their closure report.A Chennai police officer said the original police team had not done enough in pursuing the case. “They had the video and they had to register an FIR. But the matter was not escalated to higher-ups,” said the officer. “We have identified the girl who was a minor when she was allegedly sexually exploited in 2019. She claims she is the person in the video. Her statement has been recorded before the magistrate.”Investigators have also invoked the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against the accused.“We are in the process of recording the statements of some suspected victims. Almost all of them are from very poor families,” said the officer. Police are also probing is some of the suspected victims were supported by charitable activities associated with Veeramani.Story continues below this adPolice sources said investigators are also looking into whether the alleged sexual abuse went beyond the Teynampet house linked to the original video, and are examining locations such as Veeramani’s residence, his office and a guesthouse on the outskirts of Chennai.Veeramani, who is in his 80s, was arrested on August 29 along with his longtime associate Shanthi and her husband, Mahendra Simhan, managing director of Gem Software Solutions. Police have alleged that the couple facilitated offences and were involved in tampering with or destroying evidence. The allegations against the three have not been adjudicated.Police are also probing whether Shanthi took some of the alleged victims for shopping or to luxury hotels, and looking into messages she exchanged with Veeramani.The case had begun almost 11 months earlier, on October 6, 2025, when a child-rights activist approached the city police with a USB drive containing footage purportedly showing Veeramani sexually assaulting a minor girl. The footage carried a timestamp from 2019. Police registered an FIR the following day and questioned Veeramani and Shanthi. Both denied the allegations and said the man in the recording was not Veeramani.Story continues below this adThe investigation then stalled. Police said they could not establish the identity or whereabouts of the girl. The earlier investigation also cited the absence of corroborating CCTV material and the inability of a cyber expert to retrieve the original recording from the DVR after the passage of several years.In February, the Anti-Vice Squad filed a report seeking to drop further action. The Special POCSO Court refused to accept it and ordered further investigation. The court questioned, among other things, how investigators had failed to establish the scene of the alleged offence despite possessing the video.After the investigation was revived, searches at the Teynampet property led police to electronic devices that were eventually sent for forensic examination. Police also claim to have found indications of evidence tampering.Police have since been granted limited custody to question Veeramani. In view of his age and health, the court directed that the interrogation be conducted within the Puzhal Central Prison complex with access to legal counsel.