Caregiver Arrested for Child Abuse at Capgemini Campus Creche in Bengaluru

The Bengaluru Police have arrested a caregiver at a creche operating inside the Capgemini campus in eastern Bengaluru following allegations of physical abuse and cruelty towards the children of IT employees. The arrest of the caregiver, identified as Vijayalakshmi, who is in her late 40s, followed the emergence of social media videos showing the mistreatment of children at the Little Buds Day Care.

The case came to light after purported videos showing the alleged mistreatment of children at the daycare facility surfaced on social media platforms. Following this, a formal complaint was registered by Tilekesh Kumar at the HAL police station. This complaint resulted in the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 351(2) for criminal intimidation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

According to the complaint filed by Kumar, the creche staff subjected the young children to both physical and mental abuse. The complaint further detailed that children who cried or created a disturbance were beaten, dragged, forcefully handled, and confined inside a washroom. It was also alleged that staff poured water on the children and subjected them to other forms of physical assault.

A senior police officer confirmed that investigators analysed the available video footage and determined that Vijayalakshmi was at fault. The officer noted that she was visible in the videos scolding children in an intimidating manner and mistreating them. The police have sought her custody for further questioning.

A special team headed by a deputy commissioner of police (DCP) is currently probing the case. The team is reviewing all available footage from the daycare centre to establish the full sequence of events. While more arrests are anticipated, the police officer noted that there are legal challenges to making further arrests, which are currently being addressed.

In the wake of the incident, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh announced that the police department will conduct a comprehensive review of all daycare centres across Bengaluru. This review will include creches run by corporate companies to check their compliance with prescribed safety and operational norms.