Police arrived

About an hour later, the police arrived. A police spokesman said they had received a call for assistance around 4pm regarding a dispute at an investment company on Stanley Street.

Both parties were advised on the legal recourse available and were told to keep the peace, the spokesman said.

The investors tried to take the lift, but the unidentified man holds the lift door.

When contacted later, Mr Rajan, an engineer who claimed to have invested about $20,000, said the director wanted to look at the cases individually.

"He had promised to tell us what is going to happen to our investments by Thursday (May27)," he said. "There maybe hope."

Profitable Group declined to comment when approached by this reporter.

About Profitable Group

PROFITABLE Group is a global investment firm with various portfolios.

These include properties, lubrication technology, eco-housing and security.

The company acknowledges that virtually every business has been affected by the global economic downturn.

Its website says: "While our clients may have experienced delays on some projects due to a general slowdown, The Group is still able to state that not one client has ever lost money, which we believe is remarkable particularly over the last 12 months."

But the group is on the Monetary Authority of Singapore's Investor Alert List.

The firm has sponsored broadcasts of Formula 1 racing.

When Singapore played Liverpool in a friendly football match at the National Stadium last year, the group, which was the promoter of the club's Asian Tour, allowed the anthem, You will Never Walk Alone, to be played before the match.

This was against the agreement that no anthem should be played, said a spokesman

This article was first published in The New Paper.