New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Jawad (Javad) Ahmad Siddiqui, the chairman and founder of Al-Falah University, in a money-laundering case connected to alleged financial irregularities in the Al-Falah Charitable Trust.

His arrest adds another layer to the scrutiny surrounding the private university, which has already appeared in the periphery of the probe into the Red Fort car-blast case and related terror module investigations.

Arrest in Money Laundering Case

According to ED officials, Siddiqui was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after investigators traced suspicious financial flows between the university, the charitable trust, and entities linked to him.

Documents examined by ED point to alleged diversion of funds, forgery of financial records, and large, unexplained cash transactions.

Sources say the ED move follows a series of complaints alleging cheating, fabrication of documents, and misuse of trust money under the guise of educational expansion.

Is He Connected to Terror?

As of now, Siddiqui has not been arrested under terror charges, and agencies have not publicly linked him as a conspirator in the Red Fort blast.
However:

• Delhi Police’s Special Cell has issued two summonses to him in connection with the investigation into a suspected terror module that allegedly involved individuals associated with Al-Falah University.
• Investigators believe Siddiqui’s testimony is important to explain irregularities in university operations, faculty hiring, foreign funding patterns, and the roles of certain former employees.
• Police maintain that Siddiqui’s arrest is financial, but his institution’s activities fall within the broader intelligence scan triggered by the Red Fort car-bomb blast.

Senior officers clarified that the terror probe and the money-laundering probe are currently running parallel, and Siddiqui’s financial arrest does not automatically imply a terror role.

But agencies have not ruled out deeper examination.

The Background of Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui

Siddiqui, who studied at Jamia Millia Islamia in the 1990s, founded Al-Falah Investments with his elder brother.

Over the years, he expanded into education by setting up Al-Falah Charitable Trust, which runs the university and several colleges.

His record includes:

• An earlier arrest by the Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing over the alleged forgery of investor signatures in his company
• Nearly three years in jail before securing bail
• Multiple disputes over land acquisition for his institutions
• Allegations of using complex financial layers to move funds for personal enrichment

The India Today investigation recently described him as having a “shady, controversy-ridden past,” with long-standing complaints from investors and former partners.

Why the Red Fort Blast Probe Pulled Him In

The November 10 Red Fort car explosion, in which 13 people were killed, led investigators to several suspects with technical backgrounds.
During this process, the names of two former Al-Falah University employees surfaced.
This prompted the Delhi Police to also:

• Examine the university’s funding model
• question the staff and management
• summon Siddiqui twice for clarification

Officials stress that “institutional linkage does not equal personal culpability,” but say Siddiqui’s statements are crucial to closing gaps in the probe.

Sources said ED is expanding its financial trail to track beneficiaries of withdrawals made from the Al-Falah Trust accounts.

Police are awaiting digital forensics related to ex-faculty members under suspicion.

There is, so far, no confirmed link between Siddiqui’s financial case and the Red Fort terror module, but both probes remain open.

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