Delhi Blast Investigation Expands to Mhow: Tracing Al-Falah Founder's Connections to Terror Network

The investigation into the Delhi blast of November 10 and the Faridabad terror module has expanded to Mhow, a communally sensitive town in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district, marking a significant development in the case.

Investigators from Delhi Police's special cell, who are examining the use of ammonium nitrate in the explosion near Delhi's Red Fort, have established ongoing coordination with Madhya Pradesh Police. Their primary focus is tracking the network of Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui, who founded Al-Falah University in Faridabad.

A high-ranking Madhya Pradesh police official confirmed to NDTV that Delhi investigators have requested local intelligence information on Siddiqui, who originates from Kayastha Mohalla in Mhow, an area with a documented history of communal tensions.

According to sources who spoke with NDTV, a Delhi Police team is anticipated to arrive in Mhow to search Siddiqui's ancestral multi-story residence in Kayastha Mohalla. This property was previously home to Shahar Qazi Mohammad Hamid Siddiqui, Jawad's father.

Initial reports suggest that Siddiqui's brother faced accusations in multiple investment fraud cases in Mhow around 2000. He allegedly defrauded numerous local residents, both Hindus and Muslims, through a fraudulent high-return investment scheme.

As pressure mounted from victims, the family reportedly departed from Mhow in 2001. "His brother operated a company that enticed residents to invest substantial amounts with promises of abnormally high returns. When the scheme was exposed, small investors began surrounding their residence, and the family subsequently disappeared," according to a police source.

Investigators have also discovered that one of Siddiqui's stepbrothers was accused in a murder case during a religious procession in 2008-09. While initially arrested, he was later acquitted following what was reported as a compromise.

Local residents remember Jawad as an intelligent and ambitious student in the 1990s who attended SGSITS Indore, where he earned a BTech degree. He later relocated to Delhi to establish his education business, eventually founding Al-Falah University in Faridabad.

"The matter has only recently come to light. The investigation remains ongoing. We are still assembling all the pieces," stated an official.

The Delhi-Faridabad blast case, which involved the use of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO), has prompted a comprehensive multi-agency investigation involving Delhi Police, NIA, and intelligence agencies.

With the investigation now extending to Mhow, investigators are scrutinizing Siddiqui's academic background, financial dealings, and local connections to identify any potential links to the terror network responsible for the explosion.