Jalandhar Police apprehends US-wanted fugitive linked to SNAP benefits fraud case: Punjab DGP

"In a major breakthrough, Jalandhar Commissionerate Police apprehends Manjit Singh Bedi, a wanted fugitive linked to a US-based benefits fraud case. Bedi was reportedly placed on the US Most-Wanted Fraudsters list in connection with a SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits fraud case in the #USA and had allegedly fled to #India via #Canada in April 2026 to evade the law," the DGP posted on X.

Jalandhar Commissionerate Police has apprehended Manjit Singh Bedi, a wanted fugitive allegedly linked to a benefits fraud case in the United States, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav informed on Friday. In a post on X, the Punjab DGP said Bedi was reportedly placed on the US Most-Wanted Fraudsters list in connection with a SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits fraud case in the US.

According to the DGP, Bedi had allegedly fled to India via Canada in April this year. "In a major breakthrough, Jalandhar Commissionerate Police apprehends Manjit Singh Bedi, a wanted fugitive linked to a US-based benefits fraud case.  Bedi was reportedly placed on the US Most-Wanted Fraudsters list in connection with a SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits fraud case in the #USA and had allegedly fled to #India via #Canada in April 2026 to evade the law," the DGP said.

The Punjab DGP said the police force remains committed to tracking down fugitives and dismantling transnational organised crime networks. “Punjab Police remains relentless in tracking down fugitives and dismantling transnational organised crime networks, ensuring that no one can evade justice by crossing borders,” he said.

Earlier, State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Amritsar and Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar, in two separate operations, busted weapons and narcotics smuggling modules with the arrest of six individuals, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Friday, as per a release. The police also recovered 2.9 kg of heroin and eight high-end pistols along with six live cartridges from their possession, it added.

Those arrested have been identified as Inderpal Singh and Sikandarjit Singh, both residents of village Bhindi Aulakh in Amritsar; Happy Singh alias Veerpal Singh, a resident of Kakkar in Amritsar; Sunil Masih and Rajan Masih, both residents of Mahal in Gurdaspur; and Pardeep Singh, a resident of Noorpur in Amritsar. Apart from recovering narcotics and weapons, police teams have also impounded their car and motorcycle being used for smuggling activities.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the arrested accused were involved in cross-border smuggling and were receiving consignments of weapons and narcotics through drones for further distribution among criminal elements in the state. Further investigation is underway to establish the forward and backward linkages in this case to identify all persons associated with the cross-border network, he said. (ANI)