3 min readBhubaneswarJul 1, 2026 05:52 PM IST
First published on: Jul 1, 2026 at 05:51 PM IST
‘Illegal’ recruitment of minors in a hazardous unit, luring them with promises of better opportunities and ‘forgery of identities’ are among the charges the middlemen in the Tamil Nadu seafood unit gas leak case are facing, as authorities deepen their investigation into an alleged illegal recruitment scam.
The First Information Report, filed on the basis of a complaint from the assistant labour officer of Telkoi, names Srikanta Juanga from Rangamatia village in Odisha’s Keonjhar district as a middleman in what authorities claim is a recruitment scam in which several tribals from a particularly vulnerable tribal group were illegally hired to work at a seafood unit in Thiruvallur district.
This comes as the death toll in the June 21 leak stands at 15, of whom 13 belong to the Juanga tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) in Odisha. Three others are believed to be critical and on life support at a Chennai hospital.
According to the FIR, Srikanta allegedly lured around 24 workers from Telkoi block by promising better employment opportunities and illegally recruited and deployed them at the St. Peter’s & Paul’s Seafoods Export Facility.
“The workers proceeded in the hope of securing better livelihood opportunities,” read the complaint copy, adding that the district labour office has no record of this.
The complaint says that after a preliminary inquiry, authorities found that of the 24 recruited workers, 11 were minors. Five of the 13 victims were also minors, the complaint notes.
“The most disturbing aspect of the matter is that the minor girls were allegedly employed in the hazardous industrial establishment by using forged identities. They were engaged in the names of adult women by fraudulently using the Aadhaar credentials of those adults. It is further alleged that Srikanta Juanga, in connivance with the management/recruiting organisation, facilitated the engagement of these minor girls in a hazardous occupation by concealing their true identities and ages,” read the complaint.
Jamini Juanga, 16, a native of Rangamatia, was illegally engaged in the name of Parbati Juanga through the forgery of an Aadhaar card. Parbati is alive and present at her residence, the labour officer said.
The authorities also stated that there is a possibility of serious violations of various provisions of law, including “illegal recruitment of migrant workers, employment of minors in hazardous occupations, identity fraud, forgery, cheating, trafficking-related offences” and other offences under the relevant labour and criminal laws.
While seeking a thorough investigation, the authorities also demanded appropriate legal action against all those found responsible, including the recruiting agents, intermediaries, and any officials or representatives of the establishment involved in the illegal recruitment and engagement of the workers.
The promoter of the seafood unit could not be contacted for comment.
Police sources said they are verifying the complaint.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel arrive at a seafood export unit following an ammonia gas leak, in Manjangaranai, Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu. (PTI Photo) 
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