Punjab Police detained Manjit Singh Bedi, a naturalized U.S. citizen who operated the Asian Grocery Store in Tacoma, Washington, after he was placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list.

Federal prosecutors allege that Bedi ran a cash-for-benefits scheme between March 2024 and June 2025. Instead of providing eligible groceries, he allegedly swiped customers' Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards for the full value of their SNAP benefits, gave the customers approximately half the amount in cash, and kept the remainder. Prosecutors allege the scheme resulted in more than $600,000 in losses to the federal nutrition program.

Bedi was indicted in April on charges of wire fraud and SNAP benefit fraud. He initially remained out of custody under conditions that required him to surrender his passport and remain in Washington state.

The FBI alleges that Bedi later crossed into Canada and fled to India. A federal arrest warrant was issued May 21 after he was accused of violating the conditions of his supervision. The FBI subsequently offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Punjab Police located Bedi in the Jalandhar area of Punjab and took him into custody Friday, according to Indian authorities. He is now facing proceedings in India while U.S. authorities seek to pursue the federal case against him.

The FBI has described the alleged scheme as a misuse of federal food-assistance benefits intended to help low-income Americans purchase food. The Department of Justice has emphasized that every dollar lost to benefits fraud reduces funds available to eligible recipients.

The charges against Bedi remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.