Capgemini daycare toddler abuse case: First arrest made, three others evade questioning

Bengaluru police has made its first arrest in the daycare abuse case that shook the city after videos surfaced showing toddlers, some barely two years old, being subjected to abusive treatment inside a facility on Capgemini's corporate campus.

The woman arrested, Vijayalaxmi, was employed at the daycare centre and has been identified as the person seen in the footage that set off widespread public outrage. She has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Juvenile Justice Act.

Three others who were issued notices to appear before investigators failed to show up for questioning.

What the videos showed

The footage, which spread rapidly online, showed children being forced into the drum of a front-loading washing machine, sprayed with water in the mouth using a jet spray, and locked inside bathrooms as punishment for crying. Police registered an FIR against five women linked to the facility and are now investigating whether the acts were isolated incidents or part of a sustained pattern of abuse.

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Capgemini responds

The company moved quickly to shut its on-campus daycare in Bengaluru after the footage came to light. In a statement, Capgemini said: "Capgemini's foremost priority is the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees and their families. We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities and assisting them in their efforts to establish the facts. As a precautionary measure, we are temporarily closing the Bengaluru on-campus daycare facility."

Probe widens

The matter has also reached the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, following a petition seeking its intervention. The commission is expected to call for a detailed report from authorities and conduct an independent review of the allegations.