The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday arrested Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui, founder and chancellor of Al-Falah University, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The arrest followed extensive searches at his residence and several hours of questioning.
Financial Irregularities and Possible Terror Funding Under Probe
According to ED officials, investigators have detected irregular financial transactions across multiple companies linked to Siddiqui.
The agency is also probing whether proceeds from the alleged laundering were diverted to terror-linked activities, including any association with suspects connected to the Red Fort blast investigation.
Al-Falah University has been under scrutiny since the Delhi car blast case revealed alleged links between the accused and a group of medical professionals associated with the varsity.
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Arrest of Younger Brother in Long-Pending Fraud Cases
The ED action comes days after the arrest of Siddiqui’s younger brother, Hamud (Hamood) Ahmad Siddiqui, detained in Hyderabad by Madhya Pradesh Police.
Hamud had been absconding for nearly 25 years in multiple investment fraud cases filed in Mhow in 2000.
Police said the 50-year-old was running a share market investment firm in Hyderabad and had earlier disappeared after allegedly collecting over ₹40 lakh from investors in the 1990s, leading to several cheating (Section 420 IPC) and other criminal cases.
Who Is Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui?
Siddiqui gained national attention after the November 10 Red Fort blast, which killed at least 13 people.
Subsequent investigations uncovered alleged links between the accused terrorist and three doctors associated with Al-Falah University, from whom nearly 2,900 kg of explosives were recovered.
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Despite being the head of a major educational institution, Siddiqui maintains minimal digital presence, with only a sparse LinkedIn listing:
- Managing Trustee, Al-Falah Charitable Trust (since 1995)
- Chancellor, Al-Falah University (since 2014)
- Managing Director, Al-Falah Investments Limited (since 1996)
Officials said Siddiqui and his family previously lived in Mhow’s Kayasth Mohalla, where his father served as the Seher Qazi.
He became a director at Al-Falah Investments in 1992 and later emerged as the key figure behind the Al-Falah Charitable Trust, which oversees Al-Falah University and its affiliated institutions.
The university’s 78-acre main campus is located in Dhauj village, Faridabad.
