Kolkata Police Arrests Three More in Messi Event Vandalism Case

Arrests Increase in Vandalism Incident

Kolkata, Dec 19: On Friday, Kolkata Police apprehended three additional individuals linked to the vandalism that occurred at Salt Lake Stadium, which followed significant disorganization during an event featuring Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi last week.

This brings the total number of arrests related to the incident to eight.

Previously, the main organizer of the event, Shatadru Dutta, was detained on the same day as the incident, December 13.

The three newly arrested individuals are scheduled to appear in a lower court later today, where the public prosecutor will request their police custody.

In a related investigation, officials from the Kolkata police's special investigation team visited Dutta's residence in Rishra, Hooghly district. They spoke with the domestic staff present and conducted a thorough search of the property.

No seizures have been reported from this search. The investigators declined to comment to the media, stating, "The process is under investigation now, and hence we have nothing to say at this moment," according to the investigating officer.

However, sources familiar with the situation indicated that there may be significant financial irregularities involved, particularly concerning the high ticket prices for the event.

If this is confirmed, it is possible that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will take over the investigation, as they have the authority to initiate a suo motu inquiry into financial irregularities, especially those related to money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

On Thursday, the state's Principal Secretary for Sports, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, along with the Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar and Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Mukesh Kumar, submitted their responses to the state government regarding the show-cause notices issued in connection with the mismanagement and vandalism at the stadium last week.