Mangaluru: Hundreds of people including DYFI activists and the people who lost their money to the fraudulent Samrudhi Jeevan Multi State Co-operative Society gathered at the office of the Society at Paredium Plaza near Pandeshwar here on Monday afternoon, soon after the news of the arrest of Mahesh Motewar, the proprietor of the Society spread.

The reports said that Motewar was arrested in Odisha.

However, the situation outside the office turned tense when activists and protesters tried to enter the office premises and the police prevented them from doing so.

DYFI district secretary Santhosh Bajal said that recently RBI wrote a letter to central government that Samruddha Jeevan Multi-state co-operative society has been collecting money illegally. Even after police complaint, the society had continued to raise money from the public.

In order to create awareness and stop customers from being cheated, the DYFI members held a protest, but the police seem to be siding the fraudsters, he said.

After an altercation, the police detained Santhosh Bajal among others and later released them.