Al Falah University Founder Javed Ahmed Siddiqui Arrested in Money Laundering Case Linked to Red Fort Blast

Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, founder of Al Falah University and a key figure under investigation in the alleged terror financing trail connected to the recent blast near Delhi's Red Fort, has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate.

He was taken into custody under criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act following an ongoing probe into financial irregularities linked to the institution.

Investigation Rooted in Police FIRs and Suspicious Financial Flows

The probe began after two FIRs were filed by the Delhi Police Crime Branch against Al Falah University. These cases are related to alleged cheating and forgery involving accreditation paperwork linked to the institution.

The campus located in Faridabad's Dhouj came under sharp scrutiny after several individuals, including medical professionals, were arrested for their alleged role in the November 10 blast that killed 15 people and left many injured.

The suicide attacker was identified as Dr Umar Un Nabi, a resident of Kashmir, who was associated with the university during his professional journey according to investigation officials.

Search Operations Across Multiple Locations

Officials stated that Siddiqui's arrest came after studying financial and documentary evidence collected during search operations. These searches were carried out at 19 places in Delhi linked to the university and key members of the Al Falah Group.

The agency said, "Evidence reveals that crores of rupees have been diverted by the trust to family owned entities. For example, the construction as well as catering contracts were given by trust/Jawad Ahmad to entities of his wife and children."

During the raids, officials seized more than 48 lakh in cash along with multiple digital devices and documentary records believed to be vital for advancing the investigation.

The agency further noted, "Multiple shell companies of the group have been identified. Numerous violations under several other Acts have also been detected."

Rapid Institutional Expansion Under the Scanner

Authorities indicated that the Al Falah Group recorded very rapid growth from the 1990s onwards, turning into a major educational organisation. Officials claim the growth pattern was not supported by legitimate or proportionate financial records maintained by the organisation.

The Enforcement Directorate said, "The entire Al Falah group has seen a meteoric rise since the 1990s metamorphosing into a large educational body. However, the rise is not backed by adequate financials."

Another statement added, "Exhaustive evidence including recovery of cash from trustees' diversion of funds to family concern, layering of funds etc. clearly establish the pattern of generation and layering of proceeds of crime."

Link to Terror Network and Explosive Material Seizure

The Red Fort blast investigation pointed toward a larger module identified as a white collar network suspected to be operating across multiple states including Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Officials stated that the network had suspected links with banned outfits Jaish e Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat ul Hind during early interrogation stages.

Nearly 2900 kilograms of explosive material was found in two rented rooms in Faridabad which were allegedly connected to those associated with the same module under investigation.

Several individuals including doctors linked to the university and a cleric from a Faridabad mosque were arrested or detained for further questioning regarding the suspected operational chain.