FBI-wanted fraud suspect arrested in Jalandhar over USD 600,000 US benefits scam

FBI-wanted fraudster Manjit Singh Bedi has been arrested in Jalandhar over an alleged $600,000 US government benefits fraud scheme

PGurus Newsdesk

September 5, 2026

Manjit Bedi, recently placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list, has been arrested in Jalandhar after allegedly fleeing the US.

Bedi is accused of defrauding the US government of at least $600,000 through a SNAP scheme

A man who had recently landed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list has been arrested by Punjab Police in Jalandhar, bringing an international fraud case to an unexpected end in his hometown.

Manjit Singh Bedi, an India-born naturalised US citizen, is accused of defrauding the US government of at least $600,000 through a SNAP benefits scheme. He was arrested after Jalandhar Police received information about his whereabouts and tracked him down.

From a US grocery store to the FBI wanted list

According to US authorities, Bedi operated an Asian grocery store in Tacoma, Washington. Investigators allege that he misused customers’ Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, giving beneficiaries cash instead of food and keeping a portion of the benefits for himself. The alleged scheme ran from March 2024 to June 2025.

The alleged fraud resulted in losses of around $600,000 to the US government. Bedi was subsequently charged in the US and placed under restrictions, but authorities say he left the country, travelling through Canada before reaching India in April 2026.

FBI offered $150,000 reward

The FBI had announced a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to Bedi’s arrest and conviction. His inclusion on the agency’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list came just before Punjab Police caught him in Jalandhar.

Punjab Police said a special team acted on a specific intelligence input and intercepted Bedi while he was travelling. A separate fraud case had also been registered in Jalandhar on August 16, after which police began gathering information about him.

International case, local arrest

The arrest puts the spotlight on cross-border cooperation in financial crime cases. Bedi now faces further legal proceedings in India, while US authorities are expected to pursue the case through the appropriate legal and extradition channels.

For investigators, the immediate task is to establish the full extent of the alleged fraud and trace Bedi’s activities after he left the US.

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