Bhubaneswar: Long queues at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) counter in Bhubaneswar to exchange Rs 2000 currency notes have prompted Odisha Police’s Economic Offence Wing (EOW) to probe whether those in the queue are genuine customers or have been hired on a commission basis.
As a part of the investigation, the EOW team reached RBI Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
"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," an 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 counter.
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."
According to another official, they are receiving ₹ 2000 notes worth ₹ 2 crores every day, out of which, around 95 percent is being exchanged while only 5 percent is getting deposited in the bank accounts.
Do you still have Rs 2000 notes left? Two ways to exchange them:
People can send their Rs 2,000 banknotes to specified regional offices of the Reserve Bank through the insured post for credit directly in their bank accounts. This is a hassle-free option for the people who are away from the regional offices of the Reserve Bank.
Besides, the RBI is offering TLR (Triple Lock Receptacle) form to people for a deposit of Rs 2,000 banknotes in their bank account.
RBI Regional Director Rohit P Das said that both the options of TLR and insured post are highly secured, and there should not be any fear in the mind of the public relating to these options.
The RBI, in its communications, has been reiterating these two options, apart from the exchange facility at its offices, he added.
Giving details of arrangements made to manage exchange, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said the regional office in Delhi has made special arrangements for senior citizens and 'divyangjan' by providing a separate queue for them.
There is a separate queue for those coming with less number of such currency notes, such as 2-3, for faster disposal, he noted.
The RBI announced the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 denomination bank notes from circulation on May 19. Public and entities holding the notes were initially asked to either exchange or deposit them in bank accounts by September 30. The deadline was later extended to October 7.
Starting October 8, individuals have been provided with the choice of either exchanging the currency or having the equivalent sum credited to their bank accounts at 19 offices of the RBI.
The 19 RBI offices depositing/exchanging the bank notes are in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Belapur, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna and Thiruvananthapuram.