Bengaluru police question whistleblower who exposed toddler abuse at Capgemini daycare

The Bengaluru police have taken a female daycare worker into custody for extended questioning after she recorded and shared videos of toddler abuse at a daycare facility inside the Capgemini campus in Bengaluru. The questioning occurred shortly after the police arrested two individuals on Friday in connection with the alleged abuse.

The development came a day after shocking videos surfaced allegedly showing toddlers being ill-treated at the facility. The whistleblower, who is believed to have recorded the videos that brought the abuse to light, remained at the police station for several hours.

Family members and activists have expressed apprehensions over the police's intentions behind keeping the whistleblower in custody for an extended period. They claimed that the police have not disclosed the purpose of the prolonged questioning.

However, police officials maintained that the woman was present and worked at the daycare facility at the time of the alleged incidents. According to officials, she is being questioned to ascertain her role and gather further details as part of the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, Capgemini has temporarily closed the Bengaluru daycare facility, which is operated by an external service provider called Little Scholars, pending a review. The company issued a detailed statement emphasizing that the safety and wellbeing of every child remains its highest priority.

Capgemini stated that the situation is being treated with the utmost seriousness and that its immediate concern is with the affected children and their families. The company has taken several concrete actions over the last 48 hours, including extending full cooperation to the investigating authorities.

To assist the affected families, the company has announced support measures such as a dedicated helpline, counselling through its Employee Assistance Program, and flexible work-from-home options for employees. The IT major also stated that it is reassessing all daycare providers across its facilities in India and reiterated its commitment to taking decisive action to protect the children of its employees.