Bypassed Security, Staged Clip: Capgemini Daycare's Charge Against Ex-Staff

Little Scholars, the daycare operator at IT firm Capgemini's Bengaluru campus, has alleged "highly orchestrated criminal conspiracy" by former employees to extort and defame the childcare provider. The statement follows allegations of child abuse at the on-site daycare, including that children between two and three years of age were made to sit in the drum of a front-loading washing machine and were locked in bathrooms.

In what it called an 'expose' of criminal acts against the company, Little Scholars shared a sequence of events that led to the allegations. According to the statement, on June 25, a physical and verbal altercation ensued between two Little Scholars employees -- Sujata and Vijaya Laxmi R -- during working hours following which proprietor Ramandeep Kaur issued directives to terminate both and confiscate their company credentials.

The two employees returned to the campus the next morning and threatened centre manager Manjula to save their jobs. The two were asked to submit a written apology and leave. They, however, continued to loiter around until evening.

The same night Sujata's son, Gautam, called Manjula and Lavanya, the security guard who had witnessed the drafting of the apology letters. In response, Ramandeep Kaur directed Manjula to register a complaint against Gautam the next morning. 

On June 27, Manjula introduced Ramandeep Kaur to one Mahender, who impersonated to be a police officer and extracted Rs 20,000 under the name of legal fees.

Sujata and Laxmi kept visiting the Capgemini campus, demanding their pending salaries along with an additional fifteen days of severance pay. Kaur allegedly transferred the full negotiated amount and shared proof of payment, but Sujata is said to have denied receiving any payment.

Mahender allegedly demanded Rs 2.5 lakh more. On refusal, the two ex-employees -- Sujata and Laxmi -- "pretended to be the whistleblowers."

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"In retaliation for their rightful termination, Sujata and Vijayalaxmi orchestrated a premeditated plan for extortion and reinstatement into the facility. To manufacture leverage and exact revenge against Little Scholars, the accused maliciously bypassed our strict security protocols to sneak a mobile phone into the facility. They specifically targeted vulnerable children who could not speak, relocated them to areas outside of our comprehensive CCTV coverage and deliberately staged acts of distress to record them on video," the statement read.

Little Scholars allege that the footage was "created" by former employees to blackmail Kaur and ensure their reinstatement into the daycare facility.

The company maintained that Capgemini's role was limited to providing the premises and infrastructure, while all daycare operations were managed by Little Scholars.

Little Scholars said it is fully cooperating with the police investigation and Capgemini's internal inquiry by providing digital evidence, including call records, transaction receipts and videos. The company urged the public and the media to view the matter as an alleged criminal extortion conspiracy and reiterated its commitment to child safety.

Investigation So Far

Vijayalakshmi and Manjula are in police custody as the investigation continues. More arrests are to follow, officials said.

According to an official, around 50 to 60 children were enrolled at the centre - of whom 15 to 20 attended daily. "This has been happening for a long time. Earlier, someone informed the supervisor but (then) said no action was taken," Probation Officer Tilakesh Kumar said, adding that the previous whistleblower who reported the abuse was fired.

"The people who are supposed to take care of the children...they abuse them because the children cry or make some sound. To stop them from crying, they take the child and put him/her inside a washing machines and lock them in the bathroom...this is the complaint we got," he added.