FBI’s ‘Most Wanted Fraudster’ Manjit Singh Bedi Back In US After Arrest In India

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Manjit Singh Bedi, an Indian-origin grocery store owner on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted Fraudsters’ list, has been returned to the US from India to face charges of defrauding a federal food assistance program of at least $600,000, US officials said.

Bedi, 64, of Kent, Washington state, was handed over to federal agents and arrived in the Western District of Washington on the night of October 14, according to the US Justice Department. He is scheduled to appear in the US District Court in Tacoma on October 16.

US officials did not specify whether Bedi was extradited or deported from India.

“BACK IN THE U.S. – Manjit Singh Bedi, one of the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters, arrested in September in India,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X.

Patel thanked the FBI’s Seattle office and law enforcement partners in the US and India for securing Bedi’s return. He said the operation was part of efforts to bring high-value targets back to the US through cooperation with foreign partners, with more than 260 removal actions in 20 months, an increase of about 70 per cent from the previous period. Bedi was one of six suspects captured since the FBI created its Most Wanted Fraudsters list three months ago, Patel said.

According to the Justice Department, Bedi was indicted on wire fraud charges in April, pleaded not guilty on April 22 and fled to India within a week. He was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list on September 3, and Indian law enforcement authorities subsequently took him into custody.

“I commend the work of the FBI and international partners to get Mr. Bedi back to the US to face justice,” said Neil Floyd, acting US attorney. “We will ask the court to detain him pending trial as he has demonstrated he has the will and the means to flee. Those who take advantage of America’s generosity must be held accountable.”

The indictment alleges that Bedi owned and operated The Asian Grocery Store in Tacoma, which was authorized to accept benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in February 2024.

Beginning in March 2024, prosecutors allege, Bedi gave SNAP recipients cash in exchange for benefits on their electronic cards at 50 cents on the dollar, obtaining at least $600,000 in benefits for food that was never sold. The alleged fraud was discovered in June 2025.

Wire fraud and SNAP benefit fraud are each punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. (IANS)