Chinese authorities nabbed three venture capitalists after a dozen of their investors, who claimed they were ripped off, tried to commit suicide by jumping from a building in the city of Shuozhou in Shanxi Province.

Authorities said illegal fundraising charges had been filed against the three suspects from venture capital company, Shanxi Heli. They declined to disclose more information about the suspects.

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On Sunday morning, 12 investors of Shanxi Heli threatened to jump from the roof of a six-story building where Shuozhou city's development and reform commission holds office. Local officials, firefighters and police tried to keep the twelve from committing suicide, a scene that grabbed the city's attention.

An official with the city's publicity department said the 12 people who climbed to the top of the building had asked government officials to intervene after they were left penniless by Ma Aibin, the chief of Heli, who ran off with their investments. Authorities are still looking for Ma, who remains at large.

The dozen investors managed to climb to the top of the government regulators' building at around 10 in the morning. They were persuaded from jumping off after city officials, along with firefighters and police, rushed to the scene.

Local officials talked with them about their complaint, which apparently convinced them to stand down.