Al-Falah University Founder Under Investigation in Delhi Red Fort Blast Case

Javed Siddiqui, who founded the Al-Falah group of companies.

New Delhi:

The Delhi Red Fort car blast investigation has widened to include Javed Ahmed Siddiqui, founder and managing trustee of Al-Falah University in Faridabad. The university employed two key suspects - Dr. Shaheen Saeed and Dr. Mujammil Shakeel - who are now implicated in the terror plot.

The university is simultaneously facing an Enforcement Directorate probe into its financial dealings.

Investigators are scrutinizing Siddiqui's extensive business network and his previous legal troubles, which included a fraud case worth Rs 7.5 crore that resulted in a three-year imprisonment, according to sources who spoke with NDTV.

Mohd Razi, the university's legal advisor, has denied all allegations against Siddiqui, including the fraud claims. Regarding Dr. Shakeel's recruitment, Razi stated he had "no information" and emphasized that hiring responsibilities fall under the Vice-Chancellor's purview.

Siddiqui, originally from Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, serves on the board of nine companies, all connected through the Al-Falah Charitable Trust that oversees university operations.

These nine entities operate across education, software, financial services, and energy sectors. Investigators have flagged that most share the same registered address - a building in Delhi's Okhla area.

The Al-Falah University building in Faridabad

The common address is Al-Falah House located in Jamia Nagar in Delhi's Okhla neighborhood.

The nine companies include:

Al-Falah Investment (established 1992)

Al-Falah Medical Research Foundation (where the suspects reportedly worked and planned a potential 32-car bomb attack)

Al-Falah Developers Pvt Ltd

Al-Falah Industrial Research Foundation

Al-Falah Education Service Pvt Ltd

MJH Developers Pvt Ltd

Al-Falah Software Pvt Ltd

Al-Falah Energies Pvt Ltd

Tarbia Education Foundation

Most of these companies remained active until 2019, after which they either ceased operations or became dormant.

The Al-Falah Medical Research Foundation, however, has flourished since its 1997 inception as an engineering college and now operates on a 78-acre campus, though it currently faces a NAAC inquiry.

The Al-Falah Building also serves as headquarters for the Al-Falah Charitable Trust.

A resurfaced criminal case, originally filed at Delhi's New Friends Colony Police Station, accused Siddiqui and associates of creating fraudulent investment schemes that encouraged deposits into Al-Falah companies.

The allegations claimed Siddiqui persuaded people to invest in one Al-Falah company, then forged documents to convert these deposits into shares, ultimately diverting Rs 7.5 crore to personal accounts.

Siddiqui was arrested in 2001. His bail application was rejected by the Delhi High Court in March 2003, with the court citing forensic evidence suggesting signature forgery on share certificates. He finally received bail in February 2004 after agreeing to reimburse defrauded investors.

As recently as January 2020, Delhi Police raided the Okhla office following additional complaints that Siddiqui had defrauded investors, primarily economically vulnerable Muslims who were encouraged to invest in "halal" schemes.

In the Delhi Red Fort car blast, thirteen people lost their lives when a white Hyundai i20 packed with explosives, including ammonium nitrate fuel oil, detonated at a busy intersection near the Red Fort.

The vehicle was driven by Umar Mohammad, a terrorist with connections to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed. The investigation has uncovered a disturbing plan involving 32 vehicles reportedly intended for coordinated bomb attacks across Delhi as "revenge" for the Babri Masjid demolition.

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