New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate arrested Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui, founder of the Al Falah group and chancellor of Al Falah University, in a money laundering case linked to financial irregularities and alleged fraudulent accreditation claims. He was taken into custody under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after investigators examined material seized during searches at 19 locations across the NCR.
Al Falah University and its medical college have remained under scrutiny after investigators linked parts of the recently exposed terror module to the Faridabad campus. Police believe key suspects used a room in the medical college to plan routes for moving ammonium nitrate across the NCR. The car that exploded near the Red Fort stayed parked inside the campus for nearly twenty days. Faculty member Umar Un Nabi has been described by the National Investigation Agency as the suicide bomber behind the Red Fort blast.
The ED case stems from two FIRs filed by the Delhi Police Crime Branch. The FIRs accuse the university of falsely claiming accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council and misrepresenting its eligibility under Section 12(B) of the UGC Act. The UGC has confirmed that the institution is recognised only under Section 2(f) as a state private university. It has never been eligible for central grants.
Officials said Siddiqui controlled the Al Falah Charitable Trust and its network of institutions since the mid 1990s. They said the group’s expansion did not match its financial records. During searches, investigators said they found evidence of fund diversion and layering through family-linked construction and catering firms. They seized cash worth forty eight lakh rupees, documents, digital devices and identified several shell companies. Siddiqui was produced before a court to seek custodial remand. The ED said further investigation is in progress.
