Al Falah University Founder Arrested: Inside the Terror Financing Money Laundering Investigation

Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, founder of Al Falah University - identified as the epicenter of the terror module behind the Delhi blast, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday in connection with a terror financing-linked money laundering case.

The arrest was made under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

This investigation follows two FIRs recently filed by the Delhi Police Crime Branch against Al-Falah University, involving allegations of cheating and forgery related to accreditation documents.

The Faridabad-based university in Dhouj has faced intense scrutiny after several doctors associated with the institution were arrested in connection with the November 10 blast near Delhi's Red Fort, which killed 15 people and injured many others. Dr. Umar Un Nabi, a Kashmiri resident identified as the suicide bomber, was affiliated with the university.

According to the central agency, the arrest followed a thorough investigation and analysis of evidence collected during search operations at the university premises connected to the Al Falah Group.

The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at 19 locations across Delhi, including the Al Falah University premises and residential properties of key individuals associated with the Al Falah group.

"Evidence reveals that crores of rupees have been diverted by the trust to family owned entities. For example, the construction as well as catering contracts were given by trust/Jawad Ahmad to entities of his wife and children," stated the agency.

During the searches, authorities seized over 48 lakhs in cash, multiple digital devices, and significant documentary evidence.

"Multiple shell companies of the group have been identified. Numerous violations under several other Acts have also been detected," the agency reported.

The Enforcement Directorate is investigating alleged violations under the PMLA, including potential diversion of funds and suspicious financial transactions routed through entities connected to the university.

"The entire Al-Falah group has seen a meteoric rise since the 1990s metamorphosing into a large educational body. However, the rise is not backed by adequate financials," noted the financial crimes investigation agency.

"Exhaustive evidence including recovery of cash from trustees' diversion of funds to family concern, layering of funds etc. clearly establish the pattern of generation and layering of proceeds of crime," the agency added.

The blast occurred after authorities recently dismantled a 'white-collar' terror module linked to terror organizations Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, operating across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The investigation resulted in the seizure of approximately 2,900 kg of explosive material from two rented rooms in Faridabad, and the arrest/detention of multiple individuals, including doctors connected to Al Falah University and a cleric associated with a Faridabad mosque.