Four women employees of a shelter home in Delhi, where girls were allegedly abused by its staff, were arrested on Saturday, police said. During an inspection of the private shelter home in Dwarka on Thursday, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) found that girls were severely punished by the staff for not following rules. Some teenage girls alleged that the female staff put chilli powder in their private parts as punishment.

They were also forced to have chilli powder, the DCW had said. Following the revelation, an FIR was registered and four women -- a welfare officer, an incharge and two house mothers -- were arrested. They have been sent to judicial custody and an investigation is underway, the police said. Reacting to the arrest, DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal requested the child welfare committee to ensure new management of the home, and protection and proper rehabilitation of the girls.