New Delhi: Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, Chairman of the Al Falah Group, has been remanded to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody for 13 days, until December 1, by a Delhi court, marking a major development in the ongoing money laundering investigation linked to Al Falah University and the Red Fort blast case.

The ED arrested Siddiqui on Tuesday after carrying out simultaneous searches at 19 locations across Delhi-NCR. The agency seized ₹48 lakh in cash, officials confirmed. The searches began around 5:15 am and primarily targeted the trustees and promoters of Faridabad-based Al Falah University, which is now facing intense scrutiny for alleged financial irregularities and possible connections to the November 10 car blast near the Red Fort that killed 15 people.

Security was tightened as ED officials also raided the Al Falah Trust office in Delhi’s Okhla area, with police and paramilitary forces cordoning off the building during the operation.

ED alleges fund diversion, shell companies, and fraudulent accreditation claims

According to ED officials, the Al Falah Trust, established on September 8, 1995, with Siddiqui as a founding and managing trustee, appears to have funnelled crores of rupees into family-owned businesses.

Evidence points to construction and catering contracts being handed to firms run by Siddiqui’s wife and children. The ED says it has also traced at least nine shell companies, all registered at a single address, indicating large-scale layering and diversion of funds.

The agency claims that the Al Falah Group saw a “meteoric rise” since the 1990s, but without adequate legitimate financial backing.

In addition, a Delhi Police FIR alleges that Al Falah University made fraudulent claims of NAAC accreditation and falsely stated UGC recognition under Section 12(B) of the UGC Act, allegedly to deceive students, parents, and stakeholders for wrongful gain.

The ED stated that “exhaustive evidence,” including cash recovery, diversion of funds into family concerns, and layering through shell companies, establishes a pattern of generating and laundering proceeds of crime.