Bengaluru creche abuse case: Caregiver arrested, more arrests likely

Bengaluru police have arrested a caregiver, identified as Vijayalakshmi, who worked at a creche operating inside the Capgemini campus in the eastern part of the city, in connection with allegations of physical abuse and cruelty towards the children of IT employees.

A senior police officer told The Hindu that Vijayalakshmi, who is in her late 40s, was seen in the videos in which children were allegedly being ‘scolded in an intimidating manner’, and mistreated.

“We analysed the available videos, and it was clear that Vijayalakshmi was at fault. We have sought her custody for questioning,” the officer said.

The police are preparing for further arrests. “There are legal challenges to making further arrests, which are being addressed,” he added.

The case came to light after purported videos showing the alleged mistreatment of children at the creche, Little Buds Day Care, surfaced on social media. A complaint was registered by Tilekesh Kumar at the HAL police station, resulting in the filing of an FIR under Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the BNS, and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The complainant alleged that the creche staff subjected children to physical and mental abuse. The complaint further stated that children who cried or created a disturbance were beaten, dragged, forcefully handled, confined inside a washroom, had water poured on them, and were otherwise subjected to physical assault.

A special team headed by a deputy commissioner of police (DCP) is probing the case. The team is reviewing all the available footage from the daycare centre to establish the facts.

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh has announced a review of all daycare centres, including those run by companies in Bengaluru, to check compliance with prescribed norms.