5 nannies held for abusing toddlers at IT frame crèche in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Five nannies at a crèche on the campus of an IT firm in east Bengaluru have been booked for cruelty against children, after disturbing videos of abuse surfaced.

The 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 for criminal intimidation.

The videos allegedly show the nannies placing toddlers aged 2-3 years inside a washing machine, spraying water into their mouths using a toilet jet spray, and locking them in toilets to stop them from crying. Police said the nannies also forced children to sit on Western-style commodes and threatened them into silence if they didn’t obey.

Most of the toddlers’ parents are IT professionals working at the company. The case came to light after a child helpline official received four videos and alerted police. According to police sources, the videos were recorded by a staffer whose friend was fired from the same daycare centre last month.

Police inspected the premises on Wednesday and collected CCTV footage. Notices have been sent to all five accused, directing them to appear for interrogation. A senior officer said police will contact the parents of the toddlers to check if they noticed any signs of abuse or if the children had complained of mistreatment.

Under Section 75 of the JJ Act, cruelty towards children by caregivers carries a punishment of three to ten years’ imprisonment. A probe is under way, and further details are awaited. (ANI)