A file photo showing Saudi police officers.

:: Three men have been arrested by Saudi police after appearing in a video purportedly tricking a journalist into believing a gift to her was from state officials.

The individuals were arrested on Monday by Riyadh police after an investigation stemming from the video was shared on social media, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The video by a female Gulf journalist, which has since gone viral, shows her being offered a box of perfumes by a man claiming it to be worth $8 million, with a note indicating that they are from official departments.

The police said that during the inspection, several boxes of cheap perfumes were found, similar to the ones that appeared in the video. They added that the suspects had hoped to exploit this in a bad way for personal reasons.

The suspects have been named as Saudi national Abdullah Saleh Hammad Al-Mutairi; Lebanese national Nazir Nabih Hani; and Indian national Mateen Ahmed.

The individuals were arrested on Monday by Riyadh police after an investigation.