Fresh details have emerged in the Bengaluru daycare abuse case, with police documents indicating that a delayed salary dispute and strained workplace relationships preceded the arrest of Sujata, the daycare worker who initially brought alleged abuse to light but later became an accused in the investigation.
Police documents and statements recorded during the investigation suggest Sujata had frequent disagreements with her supervisor, Manjula, over delayed salary payments and workplace responsibilities. Investigators are examining these details alongside evidence collected during the probe into the alleged abuse at the daycare centre serving employees of Capgemini.
Manjula remains the prime accused in the FIR and is currently absconding, according to the report.
Police probe reveals workplace disputes
According to police documents accessed by CNN-News18, Sujata told investigators she had repeated arguments with Manjula over delayed payment of her salary.
In her statement, she also claimed she was dissatisfied with her role at the daycare centre, saying Manjula recognised two other caregivers, Sindhu and Bindu, while she was largely instructed to look after children.
Police documents further state that Sujata was required to approach Bindu whenever she needed anything, a practice she said caused frustration.
Investigators are treating these statements as part of the broader investigation into events leading up to the circulation of videos allegedly recorded inside the daycare.
Police allege videos were recorded to implicate supervisor
According to CNN-News18, investigators allege Sujata later recorded and shared videos of children with the intention of implicating Manjula.
Police sources told the publication that CCTV footage recovered from the daycare allegedly shows Sujata recreating one incident by making a child cry inside a washroom before recording the footage on her mobile phone.
The report further states that Sujata allegedly admitted during questioning that she:
- Recorded a child crying after allegedly locking the toddler inside a bathroom.
- Recorded another incident involving Vijayalakshmi, who had allegedly locked a young girl inside a bathroom.
- Filmed two other caregivers, Sindhu and Bindu, while they were washing a young boy who was crying.
According to police, the videos were later forwarded to a man identified as Gowtham, who allegedly circulated them.
Investigators have alleged that circulating the footage also violated the children's privacy.
Statements point to growing tensions inside the daycare
The investigation has also highlighted broader workplace tensions among employees.
One of the arrested caregivers told investigators that Manjula had frequently reprimanded Sujata over her work with children, leading to repeated disagreements between them.
The report also states that Sujata and Vijayalakshmi allegedly had frequent disputes over the use of the washroom, which further strained relations within the daycare.
Police documents suggest these incidents contributed to an increasingly tense working environment before the case came to light.
Investigation continues
Sujata was arrested on 3 July, while Vijayalakshmi was arrested a day earlier, on 2 July.
The investigation into the alleged abuse and the circulation of videos remains ongoing. Police continue to examine CCTV footage, witness statements and documentary evidence as they pursue the absconding prime accused, Manjula.
The latest disclosures provide additional context to the investigation but do not alter the central focus of the case, which remains the alleged abuse of children at the Bengaluru daycare centre and the actions of those accused.