A 27-year-old Indian student has been sentenced to 30 years in prison in the United Kingdom (UK) for grooming at least 70 girls and coercing them into sending sexually explicit images and videos.
Bilal Kazi targeted girls aged between 10 and 17 through social media platforms and apps, including Snapchat, Wink and Roblox, between August 2021 and August 2025.
He must serve at least 20 years before becoming eligible for parole and will remain on the sex offenders register for life. If released on parole, he will be subject to an eight-year licence period.
Chester Crown Court heard that Kazi posed as a 14-year-old British boy named “Reece” and used a fake photograph to convince his victims that he was a teenager.
He made them believe that they were in relationships with him before pressuring them to share increasingly intimate images.
When girls refused, Kazi threatened to share previously obtained images with their friends and families. In some cases, he accessed their social media accounts without permission and circulated the material among their contacts or published it online.
The court also heard that several victims experienced anxiety, eating disorders and attempted suicide following the abuse.
In a personal impact statement read to the court, one victim said Kazi had “taken away a sense of privacy and security”.
“I am doing my best to move forward but the effects are still with me,” she added.
Another victim, who was 13 when Kazi first contacted her, said that he had taken her “innocence away”.
Kazi, who was studying at the University of Chester, pleaded guilty in July 2026 to 37 charges, including making indecent images, blackmail and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. Two further charges were left on file.
The investigation began after a victim approached Derbyshire Police in December 2021. It was transferred to Cheshire Constabulary in May 2022, which initially identified 180 possible victims.
Kazi was arrested at Heathrow Airport on July 21, 2023, after returning to the UK.
West Midlands Police also charged him with eight further offences committed while he was on bail. Cheshire Police confirmed that the offences were considered as part of his overall sentence.
