An FIR has been registered against five women employees of a daycare centre located inside an IT company campus in Brookefield, Bengaluru for allegedly physically abusing toddlers, police said on Wednesday. The accused have been identified as Manjula, Vijayalakshmi, Sindhu, Bhavani and Bindu, according to a report in Deccan Herald.
According to HAL police, the alleged abuse took place at the childcare facility where employees of the company leave their children while at work. The matter came to light on Monday after videos purportedly showing the abuse were circulated on WhatsApp and later reported to the Child Helpline.
Police said the videos showed toddlers crying while allegedly being threatened and physically mistreated by caregivers when they cried or caused disturbance. The children seen in the videos are believed to be aged between two and three years.
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.
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Following the complaint, a case was registered against the 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. 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,” the officer said.
No arrests have been made so far, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
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