Delhi Police arrest Al Falah University chairman in alleged fraud case
The arrest followed complaints filed by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Police had registered two separate FIRs against Siddiqui in the matter.
Police said Siddiqui was produced in a court in Delhi and the court allowed the Crime Branch to remain in police custody for four days for further investigation.
On Saturday, the Delhi Saket Court scheduled the hearing of arguments for consideration of the Enforcement Directorate’s charges against Al Falah Group chairman Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui till February 13.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed charges against Siddique and Al Falah Charitable Trust in connection with alleged money laundering on January 16.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan took up the matter for consideration after hearing the views of Siddiqui’s lawyer, who sought time to examine the documents submitted along with the charge sheet.
According to the agency, the investigation was initiated based on two FIRs registered by the Delhi Police Crime Branch. The FIRs alleged that the university had wrongly claimed accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). The Enforcement Directorate informed the court that it had provisionally seized the assets as part of its investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Earlier, the ED had told the court that Siddiqui was arrested in connection with alleged money laundering involving Al Falah Charitable Trust, which controls the university and its affiliated educational institutions. The agency’s action came after Crime Branch FIRs alleged that the university and its institutions falsely advertised expired NAAC accreditation marks.
ED also alleged that the claims of regulatory recognition were fabricated to mislead students and parents, thereby encouraging admissions and collection of fees through misrepresentation. The court noted that the agency’s financial analysis showed that funds collected during the relevant period appeared to be linked to the alleged misrepresentations and that these fell within the ambit of proceeds of crime under the PMLA.
Searches at multiple locations led to the recovery of cash, digital devices and financial records. The ED told the court that some contracts were allegedly routed to entities linked to the accused’s family and senior officials confirmed Siddiqui’s role in approving key financial decisions. The agency also noted allegations that funds were layered through relevant entities to hide the money trail.
In particular, investigations into the car explosion at Red Fort on November 10, 2025, which killed 15 people, have revealed extensive connections to Al-Falah University and its parent organization, Al-Falah Charitable Trust.
The driver of the explosives-laden car was Assistant Professor at the Department of General Medicine at Al-Falah University. It was determined through DNA that Umar was Nabi. Among them are Dr. Muzammil Ganaie and Dr. Several university staff, including Shaheen Saeed, were arrested for their alleged role in a “white collar” terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
