Authorities verify IDs as Aadhaar fraud surfaces in fatal gas leak case

CHENNAI: Officials from various departments are verifying the identities and documents of workers affected in the recent ammonia gas leak incident after an investigation uncovered an alleged Aadhaar-linked identity fraud involving migrant labourers, Tiruvallur Collector S Kavitha said on Wednesday.

The development came after officials found that a migrant worker from Odisha, who had been declared dead following the incident, was in fact alive and working in Andhra Pradesh.

According to the investigation conducted by the police and labour department, the woman, identified as Purnima Juanga, had never worked at the St Peter & Paul Seafood Export’s processing factory where the gas leak occurred.

During their investigations, officials found that Srikant Juanga, the labour contractor, had allegedly used Purnima’s Aadhaar card to employ another person under her identity. Srikant is now reportedly absconding, and officials are conducting enquiries to find out the real identity of the deceased.

The probe has also exposed alleged irregularities in the employment of migrant workers. Officials said their efforts to verify the identities, addresses and ages of workers affected by the gas leak were complicated by the fact that many workers did not possess their Aadhaar cards or other identity documents, which were allegedly retained by labour contractors.

Investigators suspect that this was done to circumvent labour regulations and recruit workers who may not have been legally eligible for employment.

While factory records reportedly listed all workers as adults above the age of 20, medical teams and survivor statements have indicated that at least two of the affected workers were minors, raising concerns over the employment of minors.

Collector Kavitha said authorities were scrutinising employment records and identity documents as part of the ongoing inquiry.

The incident occurred on June 21 at the processing unit located at Kannigaipair-Manjangaranai near Periyapalayam, exposing dozens of workers to ammonia gas during routine industrial operations. Most of the affected workers complained of breathing difficulties, eye irritation, coughing and respiratory distress.

The affected workers include migrants from Odisha, Assam, Jharkhand, Kerala and West Bengal, besides workers from Tamil Nadu. Odisha accounts for the largest number of patients, with 33 workers undergoing treatment. Assam has 16 affected workers, while nine are from Jharkhand.

The workers are being treated at Vels Hospital and Venkateswara Hospital, both private facilities in Tiruvallur, and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai. The bodies of five victims have already been airlifted to Odisha, while arrangements are under way to transport the remaining mortal remains after completion of legal formalities.

The Health Department said emergency medical teams, ambulances, district officials, police, fire and rescue personnel and public health authorities were mobilised immediately after the leak. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident and ordered continuous medical surveillance of the affected workers, environmental monitoring of the facility and a review of industrial safety protocols.