EOW team questions people standing in queue to exchange Rs 2,000 notes at RBI counter
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Odisha Police questioned people standing in queue to exchange Rs 2000 currency notes at the Reserve Bank of India counter here to find out whether they were acting as agents for others, an official said.
The EOW team reached the RBI here on Wednesday after media reports stated that some people were engaged to exchange Rs 2,000 currency notes on a wage basis.
The people who exchange Rs 20,000 at the RBI counter, get Rs 300 as wage, media reports said.
"We came here after media reports said that some people were engaged to get Rs 2,000 currency notes exchanged in the RBI counter. We verified the Aadhaar card of the people standing in the queue to exchange Rs 2000 currency notes and also asked them about their occupation," the EOW official said.
Another official said that many in the queue were seen holding exactly 10 pieces of Rs 2,000 currency notes.
"How come most of the people in the queue have exactly 10 pieces of Rs 2,000 currency notes? There is reason to doubt whether the people in the queue are genuine or engaged by some other to get the money exchanged on their behalf," the official said.
Apart from questioning the people standing in the queue, the EOW officials also checked the CCTV footage of the RBI which takes pictures of people in the queue.
Meanwhile, RBI Regional Director SP Mohanty said: "No EOW official has met me. They might be enquiring about something in the queue. We will fully cooperate if any investigating agency comes to seek any clarification."
Asked why the people do not deposit their Rs 2,000 in their bank accounts instead of standing in the queue at the counter, the RBI regional director said: "Both facilities are available."
An official said that every day they are receiving Rs 2000 notes worth Rs 2 crore, out of which, around 95 per cent is being exchanged while only 5 per cent is getting deposited in the bank accounts.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
