MUMBAI: In a twist to the City Limouzine issue, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Monday jumped on to the bandwagon and extended its support

to the lakhs of investors who have almost lost hope of getting their money back.

Around 500 investors had gathered at Shivaji Park grounds on Monday hoping to come together and fight for their money. MNS chief Raj Thackeray's residence Krishna Kunj is a stone's throw from where the investors had gathered. Soon after news of the meeting reached Raj's aides, some investors were invited to explain the matter.

Though Raj did not meet the investors, his aide Manoj Hate listened to their grievances. He then phoned advocate Sayaji Nangre, an MNS counsel, and fixed up a meeting with the investors.

Nangre advised them to come together and identify the company's properties, in addition to lodging individual complaints. The properties could be attached and sold to recover the dues, Nangre said, although he cautioned them that it was a lengthy process.

The investors are planning to join an association recently formed by one of them, Kirti Patel. He has filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay high court, urging the court to direct the police to register FIRs and arrest the company's officials. As of now, the economic offences wing (EOW) of the police has registered only one FIR, based on a complaint by an investor in 2007.

Meanwhile, sources said that City Limouzines has invested Rs 150 crore in a hotel project in Gurgaon. The City Group has also set up a trading company called City Trading in the US. An amount of Rs 60 lakh has been transferred to this company from City Limouzine, sources said. "We are still to understand where they invested the amounts collected from the public, '' a police officer said.