Punjab Police have arrested a 65-year-old Jalandhar resident who was recently placed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) list of most-wanted fraudsters for his alleged involvement in a US government benefits fraud worth around $6,00,000 (approximately ₹5.6 crore).
The accused, Manjit Singh Bedi, fled the United States in April this year and reached India via Canada to evade legal proceedings. The FBI had announced a reward of up to $1,50,000 ( ₹1.4 crore) for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
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Bedi's scam with US government's SNAP
Punjab director general of police Gaurav Yadav said Bedi had been placed on the FBI’s wanted list in connection with an alleged fraud involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the US.
Jalandhar commissioner of police Satinder Singh said Bedi was allegedly operating an Asian grocery store in Tacoma, Washington, where customers used government-issued electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to access SNAP benefits.
{{/usCountry}}Jalandhar commissioner of police Satinder Singh said Bedi was allegedly operating an Asian grocery store in Tacoma, Washington, where customers used government-issued electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to access SNAP benefits.
{{/usCountry}}According to the police, instead of supplying food items against the benefits available on the cards, Bedi allegedly swiped the customers’ EBT cards, gave them around half of the benefit amount in cash and retained the remaining amount for himself.
Police said the alleged scheme resulted in a loss of approximately $600,000 to the US government.
Bedi had reportedly moved to the US in 2019, where both his sons are settled. After the alleged fraud came to light, US authorities served him a notice in April directing him to appear before the concerned court. Instead of facing the proceedings, he allegedly left the US and travelled to India through Canada.
“The arrest of the accused has led to significant progress in the investigation of the case. The police are now conducting an in-depth investigation into his international travel records, financial transactions, possible associates and other links related to the alleged fraud committed abroad,” the police commissioner said.
Federal arrest warrant issued in May
According to the FBI, a federal arrest warrant was issued against Bedi on May 21 in a US district court after he was charged with violations of the conditions of his supervision.
Bedi had earlier been indicted on allegations of wire fraud and SNAP benefits fraud. He was allowed to remain out of custody while appearing in court but was ordered to surrender his passport and remain within Washington state.
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Meanwhile, Punjab Police said Bedi was not facing any criminal case in the state before his name surfaced in connection with a travel-fraud case registered at Rama Mandi police station.
The case has been registered under Sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust) and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act (PTPR Act).
The police commissioner said police were also verifying information received from the authorities regarding Bedi’s alleged role and wanted status in the US case.