Police Raid Messi Event Organizer's Home, Find Lavish Facilities, Probe Money Issues
Police in Kolkata recently searched the home of Satadru Dutta. Mr. Dutta was the main person who organized a big event for football star Lionel Messi in the city.
What Police Found at the Organizer's Home
During the raid on Friday, a special police team found interesting things at Mr. Dutta's three-storey house in Rishra:
- A swimming pool on one level.
- A football ground built on the terrace (roof).
- A large office space.
Mr. Dutta has already been arrested. Police said this search was a normal part of their investigation. They checked many documents but did not take anything at that time.
Why the Police Investigation Started
Mr. Dutta was arrested on December 13. This happened after there was a lot of disorder and chaos at the Messi event held at the Salt Lake stadium. Police said there were "serious mistakes" in how the event was planned and carried out.
The investigation has now grown to look into large financial issues. Police suspect that around Rs 100 crore (100 million Indian rupees) might have been handled improperly in connection with the Messi event.
Key Financial Problems Police Are Investigating
Police are looking into several money-related issues:
- Fees for Photos with Messi:
- People were reportedly charged between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 30 lakh (1 to 3 million rupees) to take a picture with Lionel Messi.
- However, police found no official records of these payments.
- They believe these fees were likely paid in cash and not properly reported, making it "unaccounted-for money."
- Missing Ticket Sale Records:
- Records for almost 50% of the tickets sold were not kept.
- The stadium, Yuva Bharati, has 66,000 seats. The organizers claimed they only sold half the total tickets and gave the rest away for free.
- Police find this claim hard to believe for such a big commercial sports event, as it would mean a huge financial loss. They suspect the ticketing process was intentionally unclear.
Who Else Might Be Involved?
The police inquiry suggests that other people from the organizing group and its partner organizers might also be involved in these illegal financial deals, especially those related to the Messi activities.
