Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 2 (HBTV): Five nannies at a crèche located on the campus of an IT firm in east Bengaluru have been booked for alleged cruelty towards children after videos purportedly showing the abuse surfaced.
HAL Police have registered a case against Manjula, Vijayalakshmi, Bhavani, Sindhu and Bindu under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and Section 351 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal intimidation.
The videos allegedly show the nannies placing toddlers aged between two and three years inside a washing machine, spraying water into their mouths using a toilet jet spray, and locking them inside toilets to stop them from crying. Police said the nannies also allegedly forced the children to sit on Western-style commodes and threatened them into silence if they did not obey.
Most of the toddlers' parents are IT professionals employed at the company.
The case came to light after a child helpline official received four videos and alerted the police. According to police sources, the videos were recorded by a staff member whose friend had been dismissed from the same daycare centre last month.
Police inspected the premises on Wednesday and collected CCTV footage. Notices have been issued to all five accused, directing them to appear for questioning.
A senior police officer said investigators will contact the parents of the toddlers to ascertain whether they had noticed any signs of abuse or whether the children had complained of mistreatment.
Under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, cruelty towards children by caregivers carries a punishment of three to ten years' imprisonment.
(ANI)