FBI returns most wanted SNAP fraudster Manjit Singh Bedi to US

The FBI announced on October 16, 2026 that Manjit Singh Bedi, a naturalized U.S. citizen on its Most Wanted Fraudsters list, was returned to the United States after being arrested in India last month.

Bedi is alleged to have operated an Asian grocery store in Tacoma, Washington, where he allegedly swiped SNAP recipients’ Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, gave cash in place of eligible food purchases, and kept roughly half of the benefits, resulting in an estimated loss of at least $600,000 between March 2024 and June 2025.

"This is the latest in an unprecedented stretch of success in bringing high‑value targets back to the United States through strong partnerships with our foreign law enforcement counterparts," FBI Director Kash Patel said.

Patel also noted that the agency has secured 260 extraditions and removals over the past 20 months, a more than 70 percent increase from the previous 20‑month period, and that Bedi is the fifth fraudster captured through the Most Wanted Fraudsters program, which was launched three months ago.

Federal officials said Bedi fled to Canada after an indictment and later traveled to India, where a warrant for violating release conditions was issued on May 21, 2026. The FBI had offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest.

Patel posted on X, "BACK IN THE U.S. - Manjit Singh Bedi, one of the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters, arrested in September in India," and thanked international partners for their assistance in the case.

Bedi now faces federal charges related to wire fraud and SNAP benefits fraud, and will be arraigned in Washington state once he is transferred to U.S. custody.