Indian-origin man on FBI's most wanted list; Rs 1.42 crore reward announced

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the US has announced a reward of up to USD 150,000 (Rs 1.42 crore) for information leading to the arrest of an Indian-origin man after adding him to its list of most wanted fraudsters.The man, Manjit Singh Bedi, is accused of being involved in an alleged scheme that defrauded the US government of at least USD 600,000 (Rs 5.67 crore) in food assistance benefits. He allegedly fled to India after the fraud came to light.According to the FBI, Bedi, a naturalised US citizen, allegedly operated a small grocery store called Asian Grocery Store in Washington and used customers' Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards to carry out the fraud between March 2024 and June 2025.Bedi allegedly participated in the US government's nutrition assistance programme by purportedly selling food to beneficiaries through their EBT cards. Instead, the FBI said, he would swipe the cards and give participants cash rather than food, while allegedly keeping half of the proceeds for himself. Bedi was indicted on charges including wire fraud and nutrition assistance benefits fraud. He was initially allowed to appear in court without being arrested and was ordered to surrender his passport and remain in Washington state.However, according to the FBI, Bedi subsequently drove across the US-Canada border and fled to India. The FBI said he has been on the run for nearly a year. An arrest warrant was issued for Bedi in May by a US District Court after he was charged with violating the conditions of his supervision.Announcing the addition of three alleged fraudsters, including Bedi, to the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was continuing its efforts to track down suspects accused of large-scale fraud."We've already caught four subjects responsible for almost USD 2 billion in alleged fraud, on three different continents," Patel said, adding that the FBI was "not slowing down".The FBI has appealed to the public for information that could help locate Bedi. It said tips can be provided through its toll-free hotline, the nearest FBI field office, a US embassy or consulate, or online through the FBI's tip submission system.- EndsPublished On: Sep 4, 2026 11:51 IST