FBI Adds Indian-Origin Manjit Singh Bedi To Most Wanted Fraudsters List With $150,000 Bounty
United States federal law enforcement has escalated its international manhunt, adding Indian-born grocery store owner Manjit Singh Bedi to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) high-profile list of "Most Wanted Fraudsters." American authorities allege that Bedi masterminded an elaborate financial fraud scheme that siphoned at least $600,000 from the US government between March 2024 and June 2025. In response to his evasion, the FBI has issued a public poster featuring multiple photographs, physical descriptions, and a massive $150,000 cash reward for any actionable information leading directly to his location, arrest, and subsequent legal conviction.
The federal list, originally launched in June to track down perpetrators accused of defrauding American citizens and state programs, currently features only 12 international fugitives, placing Bedi at the center of intense cross-border scrutiny. US officials have emphasized that tracking down financial criminals who flee foreign jurisdictions remains an absolute priority to safeguard public assistance funds from systemic exploitation.
Modus Operandi: How The SNAP EBT Benefit Scam Was Executed
Before becoming a wanted international fugitive, Manjit Singh Bedi operated a modest retail outlet known as the Asian Grocery Store located in Tacoma, Washington. His establishment was officially authorized to sell essential food rations to beneficiaries of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) using electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards. However, federal investigators uncovered that Bedi allegedly abandoned legal retail practices entirely. Instead of exchanging legitimate groceries for food stamps, he routinely swiped beneficiaries' EBT cards, handed over a fraction of the value in cash, and kept a staggering half of the illicit proceeds for himself.
This fraudulent cycle allowed him to rapidly accumulate massive illegal profits at the expense of taxpayers and vulnerable welfare recipients. When federal regulators finally closed in, Bedi was formally charged with wire fraud (electronic fraud) and the unauthorized, fraudulent trafficking of SNAP benefits. Initially granted conditional release without immediate arrest, he was strictly ordered by the court to surrender his passport and remain confined within Washington state pending judicial proceedings.
Defying US Courts: Cross-Border Escape To Canada And Flight To India
Rather than facing the judiciary, Bedi chose to brazenly violate federal orders. According to official FBI notices, he drove across the international border into Canada shortly after his arraignment and subsequently managed to board a flight back to his native country, India. Following his disappearance, the US District Court for the Western District of Washington officially issued a federal arrest warrant in May, setting the stage for international extradition coordination.
As federal investigators and international agencies collaborate to trace his movements across borders, the case serves as a stark warning regarding white-collar transnational crimes. With a six-figure bounty on his head and the full weight of the FBI's fugitive task force behind the investigation, the net is rapidly tightening around the runaway grocery store owner.
