Repeated attempts to contact the company officials failed and even its media consultant was unable to get any response.

According to a former employee BB Biswas (now an advocate with the Calcutta high court), his provident fund dues should have been around Rs 3.83 lakh, but the company has shown a negative balance against his name.

However, the list submitted by Metal Box in the Delhi high court does not list Biswas.

A letter shot off Biswas to administrative manager AK Agarwal says: "I totally dispute such negative balance and am preferring my claim of Rs 3,83,001 {E&OE}..." Supporting his statement, Biswas has annexed its last provident fund statement of 1987 which shows a balance of Rs 57,241.

It is understood that the company did not respond to this letter.Another employee M Santra received a statement from the company in November 1998 saying that his dues of Rs 37,834.41 has been drawn on Corporation Bank favouring United Bank of India to be credited to his account in the bank.However, the bank in a letter dated March 3, 2000, stated that the cheque "was not received at our [United Bank of India] & no such amount appears in our Deposit Suspense Register till date".

The list drawn up Metal Box shows Santra (code no. DR0699) shows that he has retired and his dues Rs 38,667.06 have not been paid.

However, the list later contradicts itself by noting that Santra's dues of Rs 37,188.68 has been paid through a cheque.

Joydeb Das, another retired employee was forwarded a statement showing his dues were Rs 9329. However, the company list shows unpaid dues of Rs 40,446.90.

Another employee BC Dey is yet to receive his Rs 20,108.63 dues though the company says it has already sent it.