Delhi Red Fort blast probe widens: Al-Falah University founder Javed Ahmed Siddiqu under scrutiny for fraud, funding links
Investigators are examining Siddiqui’s “vast corporate network” and a past fraud case worth Rs 7.5 crore, for which he and an associate were earlier jailed for three years
PTC Web Desk: The probe into the Delhi Red Fort car blast has widened to include Javed Ahmed Siddiqui, founder and managing trustee of Al-Falah University in Faridabad. Two of the prime suspects, Dr Shaheen Saeed and Dr Mujammil Shakeel, were employed at the university, which is already facing a separate Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation over its funding sources.
According to sources, investigators are examining Siddiqui’s “vast corporate network” and a past fraud case worth Rs 7.5 crore, for which he and an associate were earlier jailed for three years.
University denies allegations
Al-Falah University’s legal advisor, Mohd Razi, has rejected all fraud-related allegations against Siddiqui. He claims to have “no knowledge” about the recruitment of Shakeel, stating that the hiring and vetting process is handled by the Vice-Chancellor.
A web of linked firms
Siddiqui, originally from Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, is listed as a director in nine companies connected to the Al-Falah Charitable Trust, which governs the university. These firms, spanning education, software, financial services and energy, reportedly share the same registered address — Al-Falah House in Jamia Nagar, Okhla, Delhi.
The companies include
- Al-Falah Investment (founded in 1992)
- Al-Falah Medical Research Foundation
- 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 firms ceased operations after 2019. However, the Al-Falah Medical Research Foundation, which began as an engineering college in 1997 and now functions on a 78-acre campus, remains active and is currently under NAAC inquiry.
Old fraud case resurfaces
The earlier fraud case was filed at New Friends Colony Police Station in Delhi, where complainants accused Siddiqui and his associates of running fake investment schemes under the Al-Falah group. They allegedly collected deposits from the public, falsified documents to show conversion into shares and siphoned off Rs 7.5 crore into personal accounts.
Siddiqui was arrested in 2001 and denied bail in 2003 after forensic reports confirmed forged signatures on share certificates. He was granted bail in 2004 only after agreeing to compensate investors. The police again raided his Okhla office in January 2020 following new complaints from small investors, many from economically weaker Muslim families, who said they were lured into investing in so-called “halal” financial schemes.
The Red Fort Car blast
The Red Fort car explosion, which killed 13 persons, occurred when a white Hyundai i20 filled with ammonium nitrate fuel oil detonated at a busy intersection near the monument. The car was reportedly driven by Umar Mohammad, linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based terror outfit.
Investigators have uncovered a chilling plan involving 32 cars rigged with explosives as part of a coordinated attack across Delhi, intended as “revenge” for the Babri Masjid demolition, sources revealed.