Bengaluru daycare rejects child abuse claims, alleges former staff staged videos for extortion

Little Scholars, the daycare centre at the centre of the Bengaluru infant abuse case, has denied allegations of mistreatment and claimed that two former employees deliberately staged and circulated videos to extort money and damage the institution's reputation.

The organisation said the employees were dismissed following a workplace altercation and later orchestrated a campaign to seek revenge and force their reinstatement.

In a statement, the daycare alleged that the dismissed caregivers secretly brought mobile phones into the facility despite strict rules, moved children to areas outside CCTV coverage, and recorded distressing videos involving infants.

The management also claimed that an extortion attempt followed, including an alleged demand of ₹2.5 lakh through a person posing as a police officer. It said the facility has submitted CCTV footage, financial records, and other evidence to investigators and is fully cooperating with the probe.

The allegations come after videos purportedly showing abuse of children at the daycare surfaced online, prompting police to register a case and arrest two former caregivers. The competing claims made by the daycare management have not been independently verified, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Authorities are expected to examine all evidence before determining the sequence of events and fixing responsibility.