The organiser of Lionel Messi's controversial event in Kolkata has made startling financial disclosures to the police, revealing that a staggering Rs 100 crore was spent on the football superstar's visit. The event, held at the Salt Lake stadium, descended into chaos, leading to the arrest of chief organiser Satadru Dutta.
Financial Revelations and Police Seizure
During interrogation led by security director Peeyush Pandey, Satadru Dutta claimed the total cost of the Messi tour amounted to Rs 100 crore. He stated that Rs 89 crore was paid directly to Lionel Messi for his participation, while another Rs 11 crore was paid to the government as tax. Dutta asserted that funds were sourced from sponsors and ticket sales.
However, investigators have cast doubt on these claims. An officer involved revealed that the total figures attributed to ticket sales and sponsors only cover 60%-70% of the claimed Rs 100 crore expenditure. This significant gap has led the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to suspect that black money might have been used to finance the event.
Acting on leads from the SIT, police conducted a raid on Dutta's Rishra residence last Friday. Following this, they have seized Rs 22 crore from Dutta's various bank accounts and frozen the accounts. The Bidhannagar Police had also preemptively instructed the online ticketing partner not to release any ticket sale proceeds to Dutta or his company.
Chaos at the Stadium and Explosive Claims
Dutta was arrested within hours of the mayhem that broke out at the Salt Lake stadium during the Messi event, with police holding him responsible for the disorder. In his defence, Dutta reportedly blamed "everyone" around Messi on December 13 for the fiasco, except himself.
He made several other claims during questioning. Dutta stated that Lionel Messi did not appreciate being touched on the back or mobbed for selfies by "random people" and had even informed his security officials about his discomfort. Despite repeated announcements for people to move away, the situation could not be controlled, Dutta told police.
Furthermore, Dutta claimed that while initially only about 150 ground access cards were issued, he had to triple the number due to "pressures from multiple quarters, all of whom were influential." This claim, however, has not been officially confirmed.
Legal Fallout and Ongoing Investigation
The police have filed two cases in connection with the incident. A suo moto case was registered at the Bidhannagar South Police Station. The charges are severe and include:
- Causing unrest and public disorder
- Vandalism
- Spreading violence
- Activities endangering public safety
Additionally, several non-bailable charges have been filed against Satadru Dutta. Despite the significant developments, no senior SIT official has come on record officially, citing procedural and legal hassles. Dutta, for his part, has not stated anything about financial irregularities related to the event, according to police.
The investigation continues as authorities piece together the full financial trail and circumstances that led to the chaotic scenes during Lionel Messi's much-hyped visit to Kolkata.
