Chandigarh: A 27-year-old Indian student living in the UK has been sent to prison for 30 years after police found that he had groomed and sexually exploited young girls online. Bilal Kazi from Mumbai, who was pursuing a PhD in Chemistry in the UK, admitted to a large number of child sex offences. The case was described as one of the biggest online child-abuse investigations handled by Cheshire Constabulary.
Between August 2021 and August 2025, Kazi used Snapchat, Wink and Roblox to contact girls aged between 10 and 17. He pretended to be a white British teenage boy called “Reece” and used another boy’s photographs to make the girls believe he was real.
After gaining their trust, he made the girls think they were in a relationship with him. He then asked them to send sexual images and videos. When some girls refused, he threatened to share the pictures and videos they had already sent him.
Martin McRobb, Specialist Prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Bilal Kazi acted with absolute ruthlessness in grooming, manipulating and exploiting a large number of young vulnerable girls.” He said Kazi befriended the girls online, forced them to make sexual images, and blackmailed those who refused by threatening to send the material to other people.
Police investigation
The case started when one victim reported Kazi to Derbyshire Police in November 2021. She said she began speaking to him on Snapchat when she was 13 and believed he was the same age. She later said that Kazi became abusive when she asked him to stop sending images, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Cheshire Constabulary’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team took over the case in May 2022. Kazi was arrested at Heathrow Airport in July 2023 after returning to the UK. Police examined his phone and found evidence that suggested there could be as many as 180 possible victims.
Officers later traced 70 victims across 28 police-force areas in the UK. The girls were aged between 11 and 17 when the offences happened, although some reports also mention a youngest alleged victim aged 10.
Kazi faced 39 charges in the Cheshire investigation. He admitted 37 charges, while two were left on file. West Midlands Police also charged him with eight further offences, which were said to have happened while he was on police bail. These were included in his final sentence.
Court Punishment
At Chester Crown Court, Kazi was given a 30-year prison sentence. He will also spend an extra eight years on licence after he is released. He must serve at least 20 years before he can be considered for parole and will remain on the sex offenders register for life.
Detective Sergeant Ross Peel of Cheshire Constabulary said: “Victims should never feel ashamed of what they have experienced.” He said only the offender was responsible for the abuse and asked parents to speak to children about the apps they use and the dangers of talking to strangers online.
Peel added: “I hope this case demonstrates our commitment to protecting vulnerable people and bringing an end to the sexual exploitation of children.” He said people who commit such crimes online cannot hide behind screens and will be traced and punished.
