Indian Student Who Pretended to Be a 14-Year-Old Boy to Trick Over 70 Young Girls Online Into Doing Something Horrible Gets a Shocking Punishment After Police Discover What He Was Secretly Doing

An Indian student who pretended to be a teenage boy online to trick more than 70 young girls into sending him private sexual pictures and videos has been jailed for 30 years.

Bilal Kazi, 27, who had overstayed his student visa, used social media apps such as Snapchat, Roblox and Wink to target girls as young as 11.

He created a fake account using the name Reece and pretended to be a 14-year-old white boy with blond hair. He used a photograph of another boy he found online to make his account look real.

Kazi would start conversations with young girls and make them believe he was interested in having a relationship with them. After gaining their trust, he would convince them to send him private pictures and videos.

He often told the girls that sharing such pictures was normal when two people loved each other.

However, once the girls sent him the pictures, he secretly saved them. He would then demand more pictures and videos, threatening to send the ones he already had to their friends and families if they refused.

In one shocking case, a 13-year-old girl realised she was being tricked and decided to stop sending him pictures. She blocked his account, hoping that would be the end of it.

But Kazi carried out his threat and shared one of her private videos online, where it was seen by 93 of her friends.

The girl later attempted suicide because of what happened.

Speaking through a statement read in court, she explained that the experience had affected her entire teenage life and left her feeling deeply hurt.

Another victim, who was just 12 when Kazi targeted her, said she felt frightened and uncomfortable after discovering that the person she believed was a teenage boy was actually a grown man.

She said she still worries about who might have seen her pictures and whether they could be shared again.

Police said some of the girls genuinely believed they were in relationships with a 14-year-old boy named Reece. Some had been speaking to Kazi almost every day for more than a year.

For several victims, the first time they discovered the truth was when police officers arrived at their homes.

Detectives said the experience had seriously affected the girls’ confidence, mental health and ability to trust other people.

Kazi originally came from Mumbai, India, and began studying for a PhD in chemistry at the University of Chester before moving to the University of Birmingham.

He later overstayed his student visa, although reports said he was understood to have been legally allowed to remain in the UK at the time.

Police first became aware of his activities in 2021 after he shared private images of one of his victims online.

This led to a major investigation involving 28 police forces across Britain.

Officers eventually identified 71 girls aged between 11 and 17 who had been targeted. However, investigators believe the actual number of victims could be as high as 180.

In July 2023, police arrested Kazi at Heathrow Airport after he returned from Kuwait, where his family are believed to live.

Officers seized his phone and later discovered more than 400 indecent pictures and videos involving children. Another 500 were found on devices at his home in Birmingham.

He was released on bail while police continued their investigation.

In March 2025, he was arrested again after detectives uncovered more evidence of his activities.

During questioning, he refused to answer questions, and officers said he showed no signs of regret.

Despite being under investigation, Kazi secretly bought another mobile phone and started targeting young girls again.

Police discovered what he was doing and arrested him for a third time in August 2025. This time, he was kept in custody.

Kazi, who lived in Selly Oak, Birmingham, eventually admitted 33 child sexual offences, including blackmail, making indecent images of children and causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

His offences took place between August 2021 and August 2025.

During his sentencing at Chester Crown Court, his lawyer said Kazi was sorry for his actions and understood that he deserved punishment.

A letter written by Kazi was also read to the court. In it, he described his behaviour as immoral and terrible.

He said he had pleaded guilty because he did not want to put the girls through the pain of giving evidence at a trial.

However, Judge Steven Everett strongly criticised his actions, saying he had deliberately targeted children who believed they were safe in their own homes.

The judge said Kazi had used social media to destroy that feeling of safety and had taken advantage of weaknesses in online platforms that should have protected children from people like him.

He sentenced Kazi to 30 years in prison.

Kazi must serve at least 20 years behind bars before he can be considered for release on parole.

If released, he will remain under supervision for another eight years and will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

Following the sentencing, Martin McRobb, a specialist prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, said Kazi had shown extreme cruelty by deliberately tricking, threatening and exploiting vulnerable young girls.

The case has also raised fresh concerns about children’s safety on social media, particularly how easily adults can create fake accounts and pretend to be teenagers.

The UK Government has been considering stronger restrictions on children’s use of social media, including possible rules affecting those under 16.

The case shows how dangerous online deception can become when children believe they are speaking to someone their own age, without knowing who is actually behind the screen.