London, 15 November 2026: An Indian student has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually exploiting children online, following an investigation in which police identified 70 victims across the United Kingdom.
Bilal Kazi, 27, of Birmingham, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Friday, 13 November. His sentence includes an additional eight-year extended licence period following release, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed.
Kazi, who was studying in Britain, used a false teenage identity to approach girls online. Sky News reported that he was originally from Mumbai.
According to Cheshire Police, he posed as a teenage boy called “Reece”, using another person’s photographs to gain victims’ trust. He then manipulated girls into sending sexual images and threatened to distribute the material when they refused further demands.
Investigators identified 70 victims across 28 police force areas, from a wider group of 180 potential victims. Cheshire Police described the case as its largest investigation into online child sexual abuse.
The CPS said the abuse caused serious and lasting distress to some victims. Alongside the prison sentence, the court imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order.
The conviction highlights the harm caused by online grooming and blackmail, even where abuse takes place without face-to-face contact.
