Bengaluru, 2 July

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh on Thursday assured strict action after alleged abuse of toddlers surfaced at a daycare inside Capgemini's Brookefield campus. Police will also check whether other daycare centres are following prescribed rules.

An FIR has been filed against five women employees after a Child Protection Officer complained. Capgemini said it is temporarily shutting the on-campus daycare as a precaution, citing employee and family safety as its top priority.

The abuse came to light after videos, shared via WhatsApp and reported to the Child Helpline, showed toddlers forced into a front-loading washing machine drum, sprayed with water jets in their mouths, and locked in bathrooms as punishment for crying.

Singh said police have asked the complaining department for a list of all such daycare units and whether they are authorised. It remains unclear if the daycare is run directly by Capgemini or an external operator.

A Deputy Commissioner-rank officer has been assigned to investigate, working alongside the Joint Commissioner, East. "More than immediate arrests, our priority is to ensure that the perpetrators do not escape... No one will be spared," Singh said, adding that videos and CCTV footage are being verified.

The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also taken up the matter after a petition sought its intervention, and is expected to call for a report and independently examine the allegations.