CHENNAI: Former Chennai police commissioner A Arun and six other police personnel have been named as accused in a case linked to alleged lapses in the investigation of a POCSO complaint against Gem Granites founder R Veeramani.The development comes as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed its first chargesheet against Veeramani and two of his drivers for the alleged sexual abuse of a 14-year-old Dalit girl.Police sources said the seven officers, including former Anti-Vice Squad assistant commissioner M A Yasmin, have been named in the first FIR registered by the SIT.They are accused of failing to conduct a proper inquiry into the original complaint, which resulted in a closure report being filed before a special court earlier this year.
SIT files 720-page chargesheet
Separately, the SIT filed its first chargesheet against Veeramani and his two car drivers, Parthiban and Babu, in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of the minor girl.The 720-page final report, which cites 40 witnesses, was submitted before the Special Court for exclusive trial of cases under the POCSO Act at the High Court campus on November 11.The chargesheet was filed within 46 days of the case being registered on September 27.According to investigators, Veeramani, the prime accused, sexually abused the minor girl. His drivers have been accused of transporting the survivor to and dropping her at his residence despite allegedly knowing about the offence.The three accused have been charged under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
SIT registers seven fresh cases
The SIT was constituted on September 24 by the Director General of Police (DGP), under the supervision of the Greater Chennai Police Commissioner, to investigate the original case and related matters.Following its formation, seven fresh cases involving nine minor survivors were registered based on complaints filed by the victims or their mothers.Eight associates of Veeramani have also been arrested in connection with the network. Meanwhile, the SIT is continuing its parallel investigation into the seven police officials named in the FIR.(With PTI inputs)
