New Delhi, May 29 (IANS): Delhi Police arrested three persons of a Punjab-based family for duping 17 people by providing them fake work visa for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a police officer said on Wednesday.

Rakesh Kumar, 38, Prem Kumar, 35, and Gagandeep Singh, 31, who are from Ludhiana and Jalalabad, were arrested on May 22 after a year-long investigation after a Delhi Police team raided their hideout in Chandigarh on a tip off.

"Rakesh Kumar, Prem Kumar and Gagandeep Singh are cousin brothers and were involved in duping 17 innocent persons. They advertised in newspapers in Rajasthan, offering people work visas for the UAE," Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Bhatia told IANS.

"During interrogation, the accused disclosed that they impersonated themselves with fake names while meeting the victims so as to conceal their real identities.

"They took hefty amounts from innocent people on the pretext of providing genuine work visas," the officer said.

"The fraud was reported after the immigration officials filed a complaint on May 27 last year in which 10 passengers intending to go to Dubai on work visa were loitering at the Indira Gandhi International Airport," the officer said.

During scrutiny, the Protector of Emigrants (POE) sticker and departure stamp affixed in each passport were found fake and forged.

The men had been cheated of Rs 50,000 each by the accused, the officer added. But the court intervened and got the victims their money back.