Jalandhar Commissionerate Police have apprehended Manjit Singh Bedi (65), a wanted fugitive linked to a US-based benefits fraud case. He was reportedly placed on the US Most-Wanted Fraudsters list in connection with a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits fraud case and had allegedly fled to India via Canada in April 2026 to evade the law.A resident of Aman Nagar on Gulab Devi Road, he was caught by the city police from Paragpur area (Jalandhar) on Friday. Commissioner of Police Satinder Singh said that he had arrested Bedi in a case lodged against him on May 16 this year. He had an FIR lodged against him under Sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), 318(4) (cheating) BNS and 13 Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act at Rama Mandi Police Station in Jalandhar.As per disclosures made so far to the police, Bedi had moved to the US since 2019. Prior to that, he had been running some transport operations in Jalandhar. His two sons are settled in the US. He is a American passport holder.In a post shared by the FBI, the bureau stated that Bedi is wanted for his alleged involvement in a benefits fraud scheme of at least $600,000 between March 2024 and June 2025 in Tacoma, Washington. A reward of up to $150,000 was offered for information leading to his arrest and conviction. The FBI Seattle field office also posted about the addition to the list.According to the FBI and federal prosecutors, Bedi owned and operated the Asian Grocery Store in Tacoma. The store was authorised to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits via Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards in February 2024.”Beginning the following month and continuing through June 2025, Bedi allegedly ran a cash-for-benefits scheme. Instead of providing food, he is accused of swiping customers’ EBT cards for the full amount, giving them only half the value in cash, and keeping the rest. Prosecutors cited examples in which a $200 charge resulted in the recipient receiving $100 while Bedi pocketed the remaining $100. The scheme is alleged to have generated more than $600,000 in illicit proceeds for food that was never sold.Bedi was indicted in April 2026 in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington on multiple counts of wire fraud and SNAP benefits fraud. “Each count carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine,” the report read.He was allowed to appear in court without being taken into custody and ordered to surrender his passport and remain in Washington state. But instead, he drove across the border into Canada and then fled to India.On May 21, 2026, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Bedi on charges of Violations of Conditions of Supervision. The investigation involved the US Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.