Messi’s chartered plane, personal bond and an arrest: How organiser Satadru Dutta was stopped from fleeing Kolkata airport KOLKATA: Hours after the Lionel Messi show at Salt Lake Stadium spiralled into chaos, Kolkata Police on Saturday arrested event organiser Satadru Dutta, stopping him from leaving the city amid mounting anger over the aborted programme and allegations of mismanagement. Police action unfolded at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, where Dutta had accompanied Messi and his Inter Miami teammates ahead of the next leg of the GOAT India Tour 2025. Messi’s Kolkata Visit Turns Chaotic As Angry Fans Vandalise Banners At Salt Lake Stadium Senior officers intervened after receiving instructions that the organiser should not be allowed to fly out of Kolkata. Dutta reached the airport around 12.25pm, completed security formalities and boarded the aircraft at 12.40pm. Minutes later, director general of police Rajeev Kumar arrived and directed that Dutta be restrained from leaving the city, officials said. Image Credit: TOI Witnesses said Dutta was asked to deplane around 1pm and was kept inside a vehicle on the tarmac as police decided on the next course of action. During this period, he allegedly tried to negotiate with officers, first denying responsibility for the Salt Lake Stadium fiasco and later offering to furnish a personal bond assuring refunds to nearly 60,000 spectators. Also read: Who is Satadru Dutta? Organiser behind Messi’s chaotic Kolkata show “He said the fans would be refunded and insisted he needed to travel with the footballers for the rest of the tour. But police made it clear he would not be allowed to leave,” an official present at the airport said. The Gulfstream executive jet eventually took off at 2.34pm for Hyderabad with seven passengers instead of eight after the pilot declined to delay the flight any longer, air traffic control officials said. At a press briefing later in the day, ADGP (law and order) Jawed Shamim confirmed police action, saying “processes are on and investigations are on”. 'A Satadru Dutta Initiative' Dutta had promoted the Salt Lake event as “A Satadru Dutta Initiative”. The programme collapsed soon after Messi entered the stadium, with dozens of officials, organisers and selfie-seekers crowding the football star, blocking the view of spectators in the stands. Nearly 60,000 fans, many of whom had paid between Rs 5,000 and Rs 16,000, were left angry and disappointed as Messi exited early. Scenes of disorder followed, with food packets and plastic bottles hurled onto the ground. “When you buy a Rs 16,000 ticket, you expect at least a clear view of Messi. We have been scammed,” said Soumyadeep Ghosh of Kalighat, holding a torn hospitality ticket. As Messi and his teammates flew out of Kolkata, the organiser who had billed the event as his own initiative remained behind — under police custody — as investigators began probing what went wrong.
IndiaIndia
Messi event chaos: Organiser stopped from fleeing Kolkata in chartered plane; full refunds offered
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