JALANDHAR — In a major breakthrough against transnational crime, the Jalandhar Commissionerate Police on Friday arrested Manjit Singh Bedi, an Indian-born naturalized US citizen featured on the FBI’s “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list for allegedly orchestrating a $600,000 (approx. ₹5.3 crore) welfare scam.
Bedi, who carried an FBI bounty of up to $150,000 on his head, had fled the United States earlier this year after violating bail conditions set by a federal court.
Confirming the arrest on Friday, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav stated that the fugitive had been tracked down through intelligence-led surveillance as part of a targeted campaign against international fugitives.
“Punjab Police remains relentless in tracking down fugitives and dismantling transnational organized crime networks, ensuring that no one can evade justice by crossing borders,” Yadav posted on X.
The Tacoma Operation
According to federal court records and the FBI, Bedi operated the ‘Asian Grocery Store’ in Tacoma, Washington. Between March 2024 and June 2025, his store served as an authorized vendor for the US government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), intended to supply groceries to low-income families.
Instead of exchanging food for benefits, Bedi allegedly devised a cash-back kickback scheme. Federal investigators revealed that he swiped recipients’ Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards for inflated sums and disbursed cash directly to beneficiaries, pocketing roughly 50 percent of each transaction. The operation caused a direct financial loss of at least $600,000 to the US Department of Agriculture.
Cross-Border Flight to India
Following an indictment for wire fraud and SNAP benefits fraud, Bedi was granted pre-trial release by a federal judge on the condition that he surrender his passport and remain within the boundaries of Washington state.
Instead, Bedi slipped past authorities by driving across the US-Canada border by road before boarding a commercial flight to India in April 2026.
Following his disappearance, the US District Court for the Western District of Washington in Tacoma issued a federal arrest warrant on May 21, 2026, citing violations of the conditions of supervision.
Extradition Proceedings
Believing he could blend in, Bedi had been living incognito across locations in Punjab for the past five months. However, an intelligence-driven operation by the Jalandhar police traced his local contacts and sealed his hideout on Friday.
Indian law enforcement agencies are currently liaising with the Ministry of External Affairs and the US Department of Justice to initiate extradition proceedings under the bilateral India-US Extradition Treaty.
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