Kolkata Police has arrested Satadru Dutta, the organiser of Lionel Messi's GOAT Tour, following chaos and mismanagement at the Salt Lake Stadium during the event. Dutta was detained while he was on his way to Hyderabad, a development confirmed by West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar. He said the organiser has given a written assurance that all fans who purchased tickets to watch Messi at the stadium will be refunded.
Addressing a press conference, ADG Law and Order Javed Shamim said the main organiser had already been taken into custody and assured that the refund process is underway. "Satadru Dutta, the main organiser of the programme, has been detained by the police. Money will be refunded and the process is ongoing. An investigation is also underway," he said.
Police is acting stupidly. Messi is here because of Satadru Dutta & he definitely doesn't manage the law & order of Salt Lake Stadium. Putting him behind bars now will derail the whole Hyderabad and Mumbai events scheduled ahead. Kolkata shouldnt ruin the whole India Tour now. https://t.co/jlAsKoxshE pic.twitter.com/1H8tACFDU6
— Sudhanidhi Bandyopadhyay (@SudhanidhiB) December 13, 2025
DGP Rajeev Kumar added that a government-appointed committee will look into all aspects of the incident, including the lapses and mismanagement that led to the chaos. He said the situation is now under control and stressed that the organiser has committed in writing to refund all sold tickets. "We have ensured that this mismanagement does not go unpunished and that fans are adequately compensated," Kumar told Sportstar.
West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose also confirmed the arrest, telling ANI that the organiser has been taken into custody and the investigation is in progress.
