According to the complaint, the creche staff locked crying children inside washing machines to frighten them, forced them into narrow water-filled pipes, and confined them in bathroom spaces. (Express Photo/Video grab)In a new development in the alleged abuse case in a creche inside the Capgemini campus, the management has claimed that it was the target of a criminal conspiracy, extortion attempt and a defamation campaign by former employees, including arrested accused Sujatha and Vijayalakshmi. It also claimed a man posing as a police officer extorted Rs 20,000 and later demanded Rs 2.5 lakh.Police, however, said only Sujatha and Vijayalakshmi have been arrested so far and the investigation is ongoing. A senior officer also confirmed that the toddlers seen in the viral videos have undergone medical examination as part of the probe.According to a complaint register via a call on the child helpline on June 25, workers of the creche locked crying children inside washing machines to frighten them, forced them into narrow water-filled pipes, confined them in bathroom spaces, and physically intimidated them in other ways.Also Read | From Bengaluru Capgemini creche horror, a message: Taking care of children is serious businessEarlier, the authorities investigating the case said that complaints regarding the daycare facility were previously ignored, and the employee who raised concerns regarding the abuse was dismissed before the case came to light.Tilakesh Kumar, Legal and Probation Officer, District Child Protection Unit, had previously told The Indian Express that the person who raised the complaint shared the instances in detail and also showed videos of the alleged abuse when they met.Capgemini, which has outsourced the creche to a third party, doesn’t have any direct role in the day-to-day operations, including staff recruitment and salaries.