Sacked employees ‘staged’ Bengaluru daycare videos for extortion, Little Scholars alleges

The operator of the daycare at the centre of the Bengaluru Capgemini campus abuse case has alleged that former employees deliberately staged and recorded videos involving children as part of an extortion attempt.

Little Scholars, which independently operated the daycare facility, claimed it was targeted in a “highly orchestrated criminal conspiracy” involving extortion, blackmail and an attempt to damage its reputation, according to The Indian Express.

The allegations mark a fresh turn in a case already under police investigation. Police have not commented on the daycare management's claims of extortion and impersonation, while medical examinations of the toddlers seen in the viral videos have been completed as part of the probe.

Little Scholars claims videos were staged after dismissals

At the centre of Little Scholars' account are two former employees, Sujatha and Vijayalakshmi R.

The daycare management alleged the two were dismissed on 25 June following a physical and verbal altercation at the facility. According to Little Scholars, the former employees later returned seeking reinstatement.

After the request was refused, the management claims an extortion conspiracy followed.

“Little Scholars has been the target of a highly orchestrated criminal conspiracy involving extortion, blackmail and a malicious campaign to tarnish the institution’s reputation,” the daycare said in its statement.

Little Scholars further alleged the former employees breached its security protocols by bringing a mobile phone into the daycare and taking children to areas outside CCTV coverage.

“The videos were not created to report abuse but were deliberately staged and recorded as part of an extortion attempt after their services were terminated,” the statement alleged.

These are claims made by Little Scholars and remain subject to the ongoing police investigation.

Rs 20,000 payment and Rs 2.5 lakh demand alleged

Little Scholars has also accused its former centre manager, Manjula, of colluding with the dismissed employees.

According to the daycare's statement, Manjula introduced the management to a man identified as Mahender, who allegedly posed as a police officer.

The operator has made several claims about the alleged sequence of events:

• Mahender allegedly collected Rs 20,000 from the proprietor for what he described as legal expenses.
• Little Scholars claims he later demanded an additional Rs 2.5 lakh.
• The daycare alleges the videos were circulated to the media after the management refused the alleged demand and declined to reinstate the dismissed employees.
• Little Scholars claims Manjula later absconded after police informed the daycare that Mahender was not a police officer.

“When the management refused to meet the unlawful demands or reinstate the terminated employees, the videos were circulated to the media in an attempt to damage the organisation’s credibility,” Little Scholars alleged.

Police are yet to comment on the daycare operator's allegations concerning extortion and impersonation.

Two employees arrested as police probe continues

Police said Sujatha and Vijayalakshmi are the only two people arrested so far in connection with the case, The Indian Express reported.

The investigation into the allegations made by the complainants and the daycare management remains under way.

A senior police officer also confirmed that the children seen in the viral videos have undergone medical examinations as part of the investigation.

Little Scholars said it has shared CCTV footage, digital records, call logs, financial transaction details and other material with police and with Capgemini's internal inquiry.

The daycare operator also reiterated that Capgemini's role was limited to providing space for the centre on its Bengaluru campus, while Little Scholars independently managed childcare operations.

Capgemini had closed the daycare pending review

There has been no fresh statement from Capgemini on Little Scholars' latest allegations.

In its earlier media statement on the incident, Capgemini said the safety and wellbeing of every child remained its “highest priority” and described the situation at the externally operated daycare as being treated with the “utmost seriousness”.

The company had announced several immediate steps:

• Temporary closure of the Bengaluru daycare facility pending review
• Full cooperation with investigating authorities
• A helpline and dedicated counselling through its Employee Assistance Program for affected families
• Flexible work-from-home options for affected families
• A reassessment of all daycare providers across its facilities in India

Capgemini had said it was committed to acting decisively to protect employees and their families.

Little Scholars' latest statement has now introduced a sharply different account of how the videos emerged. The operator alleges staging and extortion. The police investigation, meanwhile, is continuing.

With the daycare's claims of extortion and impersonation yet to receive a police response, the next stage of the probe will be critical in establishing the sequence of events and examining the competing allegations surrounding the case.