Indian student jailed for 30 years in UK for grooming 70 girls online

Dubai: An Indian student in Britain has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for grooming at least 70 girls online, deceiving them into believing they were in romantic relationships with him before blackmailing them into providing sexually explicit images and videos.

Bilal Kazi pleaded guilty to 37 child sexual abuse offences, including blackmail, making indecent images of children and inciting children to engage in sexual activity.

He was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Friday and must serve at least 20 years before becoming eligible for parole, according to the BBC and The Times of India.

Kazi will also remain on the sex offenders register for life.

Kazi, 27, originally from Mumbai, studied at the University of Chester before moving to Birmingham, where he reportedly pursued chemistry studies. He pleaded guilty to 37 child sexual abuse offences, including blackmail and inciting children to engage in sexual activity.

Between August 2021 and August 2025, Kazi targeted girls aged 10 to 17 through Snapchat, Roblox and Wink.

Using the name “Reece”, he posed as a 14-year-old white British boy and used photographs taken from another teenager’s social media account.

He persuaded victims that they were in genuine relationships with him before pressuring them to share increasingly intimate images and videos.

When they refused, he threatened to distribute material they had already shared to friends and relatives.

In some cases, he hacked into victims’ social media accounts and published images online.

The investigation began after a 13-year-old victim reported Kazi to police in December 2021.

By May 2022, investigators had identified 180 potential victims.

Kazi subsequently left Britain but was arrested at Heathrow Airport when he returned in July 2023.

Police recovered more than 900 indecent images and videos from his electronic devices, The Times of India reported.

He pleaded guilty to 37 charges in July 2026. Eight additional offences committed while he was on police bail were also taken into account during sentencing, according to the BBC.

Judge Stephen Everett condemned Kazi’s exploitation of vulnerable children and questioned the safeguards available on social media platforms.

“You are a very dangerous person,” the judge told him.

The court heard that several victims had experienced severe psychological distress, including anxiety and eating disorders, while some had attempted suicide.

One victim said the abuse had deprived her of a sense of privacy and security.

“The harm caused is not limited to the time events took place — they continue to affect my daily life,” she said.

Detective Constable Georgia Hughes said Kazi had shown no remorse and had manipulated young girls during what were often their first experiences of romantic relationships.

Sergeant Ross Peel urged parents to take an active interest in the apps and online platforms their children use.

He warned that offenders could target children from anywhere in the world, making awareness of online grooming and exploitation essential to protecting young users.