The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday (Nov 18) arrested Al-Falah University founder and chancellor Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). His arrest came hours after ED teams conducted searches at his Faridabad residence and questioned him regarding multiple suspicious transactions flagged across companies associated with him.
According to senior officials, investigators have identified irregular financial movements across several firms linked to Siddiqui, raising concerns of a larger laundering mechanism. Agencies are now probing whether the funds diverted through these channels were used to support terror-linked activities, including individuals under investigation in the recent Red Fort blast case.
The inquiry into Siddiqui’s financial dealings gained momentum following the November 10 blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, which killed at least 13 people. During the investigation, authorities reportedly uncovered links between the prime accused and three medical doctors affiliated with Al-Falah University.
These doctors were arrested in a joint operation by Haryana Police and Jammu & Kashmir Police, during which nearly 2,900 kg of explosives were recovered from premises linked to them. The possible institutional link has brought the university under intense scrutiny.
The ED’s action against Siddiqui follows a major breakthrough by Madhya Pradesh Police, who arrested his younger brother, Hamud (Hamood) Ahmad Siddiqui, in Hyderabad earlier this week. Hamud had been absconding for nearly 25 years in several investment fraud cases registered in Mhow in the early 2000s.
Police confirmed that the 50-year-old was wanted in at least four criminal cases, including a 1988 rioting and attempted murder case. He had been operating a share market investment firm in Hyderabad’s Gachibowli area under a false identity. Investigators allege that in the 1990s, Hamud ran an investment scheme in Mhow promising unusually high 20% returns. He disappeared after collecting over ₹40 lakh, prompting multiple cases under Section 420 (cheating) of the IPC.
Who is Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui?
Despite founding a major educational institution, Siddiqui maintains an extremely limited digital footprint, with only a minimal LinkedIn record listing his professional roles:
Managing Trustee, Al-Falah Charitable Trust (since 1995)
Chancellor, Al-Falah University (since 2014)
Managing Director, Al-Falah Investments Limited (since 1996)
Investigators say Siddiqui’s family originally lived in Kayasth Mohalla in Mhow, where his father, Mohammad Hamid Siddiqui, served as the Seher Qazi. Siddiqui himself reportedly became a director at Al-Falah Investments as early as September 18, 1992, according to a Times of India report.
He later emerged as the principal force behind the Al-Falah Charitable Trust, established in 1995, which oversees Al-Falah University and its affiliated colleges. The university’s main campus, located in Dhauj village in Faridabad, spans 78 acres, housing thousands of students across multiple disciplines.
Al-Falah University has been under consistent scrutiny since the Red Fort blast probe began uncovering alleged associations between terror suspects and individuals linked to the institution. Agencies are reportedly examining whether the university’s infrastructure and networks were exploited for unlawful activities.
Siddiqui is likely to be produced before a special PMLA court where the ED may seek his custodial remand to widen the probe into financial diversion, associated entities, and possible terror financing trails. More arrests are not being ruled out as officials continue to uncover links between the Siddiqui family’s financial operations and larger criminal networks.
The ED investigation, now intersecting with major terror-related probes, is expected to expand significantly in the coming days.
