5 women booked for abusing toddlers in Bengaluru IT centre daycare

Five female employees of a daycare centre on the campus of an IT company in Bengaluru were booked on Wednesday for allegedly physically abusing toddlers and threatening them when the children cried or became restless.

The alleged abuse took place at the childcare facility in Brookefield, where employees of the IT company leave their toddlers while at work, they said.

The matter came to light on Monday after videos purportedly showing the abuse were shared via WhatsApp and reported to the Child Helpline, they said.

Police said the videos showed children crying and subjected to physical abuse and torture by the caregivers.

According to police, the purported videos showed caregivers threatening toddlers, aged between two and three years old, when they cried or caused disturbance.

The complaint alleged that the women put children inside a front-loading washing machine, made them sit in a western-style toilet, sprayed water into their mouths using a toilet jet spray, locked them inside bathrooms, and threatened them to keep quiet.

Following the complaint, a case has been registered against these five women under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, a senior police officer said.

"The accused women are being questioned, and we are also verifying the authenticity of the videos and trying to establish when the incidents occurred and whether more children were subjected to similar abuse," he said.

Following the incident, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh on Thursday assured that strict action would be taken against those responsible.

He also said the police would ascertain whether other daycare centres are operating in compliance with the prescribed rules and regulation.

(With PTI inputs)