Bengaluru Creche Abuse: Caregiver Arrested, Police Probe Expands
The Bengaluru police have arrested a caregiver in connection with allegations of physical and mental abuse of children at a creche operating inside the Capgemini campus in the eastern part of the city. The accused, identified as Vijayalakshmi, is in her late 40s and was seen in videos allegedly mistreating children.
A senior police officer confirmed that the videos show Vijayalakshmi scolding children in an intimidating manner and mistreating them. “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,” the officer added.
The case came to light after purported videos showing the alleged mistreatment of children at Little Buds Day Care surfaced on social media. A complaint was registered by Tilekesh Kumar at the HAL police station, resulting in an FIR under Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the BNS and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
The complainant alleged that creche staff subjected children to physical and mental abuse. The complaint 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 physically assaulted.
A special team headed by a deputy commissioner of police (DCP) is probing the case. The team is reviewing all 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.
