Al-Falah University Investigation: Terror Links, Fraud Allegations, and Academic Misconduct Under Intense Multi-Agency Scrutiny

Key Highlights:

• Al-Falah University Investigation intensifies as three doctors from the institution are linked to the Delhi Red Fort blast that killed 13 people on November 10, 2025, with director Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui facing renewed scrutiny
• Government orders forensic audit of Al-Falah University records while Enforcement Directorate probes money trail across Siddiqui’s network of 15 companies spanning education, software, and agribusiness sectors
• National Assessment and Accreditation Council issues show-cause notice for false accreditation claims while Association of Indian Universities suspends membership, citing institution “does not appear to be in good standing”

Al-Falah University Investigation: Opening Overview

The deadly car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10, 2025, which claimed 13 lives and injured over 20 others, has thrust Al-Falah University into an unprecedented national security investigation. The Al-Falah University investigation intensified dramatically when three doctors working at the Faridabad-based institution—Dr Umar Nabi, Dr Muzammil Shakeel, and Dr Shaheen Shahid—were identified as key members of an alleged “white-collar terror module” connected to the blast. The discovery has triggered a comprehensive probe by multiple central agencies, including the National Investigation Agency, which was established in 2008 as India’s principal counter-terrorism law enforcement body under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Following a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah that lasted over 90 minutes, the government ordered a forensic audit of all Al-Falah University records while directing the Enforcement Directorate to trace money flows through the institution and its affiliated entities. The Al-Falah University investigation now encompasses not only the immediate terror links but also the controversial past of director Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui, including a Rs 7.5 crore investment fraud case that landed him in Tihar Jail for over three years.

Al-Falah University which is now focus of attention, reportedly gets foreign funding from Arab nations that visit campus every year. Admits mostly Muslim students from Bihar, Kashmir, and Mewat.
Why the hell are we permitting this kind of funding and exclusivity? pic.twitter.com/aSAL2vZ1FZ

— Maj Gen Raju Chauhan, VSM (veteran)🇮🇳 (@SoldierNationF1) November 13, 2025

Al-Falah University Investigation: Academic Credentials Under False Pretenses

• The National Assessment and Accreditation Council, established in 1994 as an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission to assess higher education institutions across India, issued a show-cause notice to Al-Falah University on November 12, 2025, for displaying false accreditation claims on its website
• NAAC stated that Al-Falah University “is neither accredited nor validated for Cycle One for Assessment and Accreditation” yet publicly claimed that its constituent colleges—Al-Falah School of Engineering and Technology and Al-Falah School of Education and Training—held ‘A’ grade NAAC accreditation
• The council declared this information “absolutely wrong and misleading the public, especially the parents, students and stakeholders,” demanding the university explain within seven days why accreditation should not be declared “null and void” and why NAAC should not recommend to UGC and NMC to withdraw recognition of the university’s programs

The Al-Falah University investigation reveals a pattern of academic misrepresentation that extends beyond terror allegations. According to NAAC’s November 12 notice, the university was last accredited in 2013 under Cycle 1 with a ‘B’ grade and CGPA of 2.63, and was required to submit a Self Study Report (SSR) and Institutional Information for Quality Assessment (IIQA) by 2018 for the next accreditation cycle. The institution failed to submit both documents despite repeated reminders, violating Clause 6.13 of the Revised Accreditation Framework.

The Association of Indian Universities, established in 1925 as the apex inter-university representative body with 972 member institutions across India, suspended Al-Falah University’s membership on November 12, stating the institution “does not appear to be in good standing”. AIU also barred the university from using its name or logo and directed immediate removal of the logo from all official platforms. The Al-Falah University investigation has exposed how the 78-acre campus in Dhauj village, Faridabad, operated with falsified credentials while three of its faculty members allegedly planned terrorist activities.

Al-Falah University Investigation: Corporate Network and Financial Scrutiny

• Public records from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs reveal Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui is associated with at least 15 companies across education services, software development, agribusiness, medical research, and engineering sectors, with nine currently active
• Seven companies share a single registered address at Al-Falah House, 274A, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi, while another entity, Tarbia Foundation, is registered at 274B, Murtaza Apartments, also in Jamia Nagar
• Recurring directors across these firms include family members Sufyan Ahmad Siddiqui, Saood Siddiqui, Shima Siddiqui, Fardeen Beg, and Mohammad Jamil Khan alongside Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui himself

The Al-Falah University investigation expanded significantly when the Enforcement Directorate received orders to conduct a forensic audit of the university’s financial records and trace money trails through Siddiqui’s corporate network. The decision came during the November 12 high-level security meeting where Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the investigation progress. University insiders revealed to Times of India that foreign donors from Arab countries visit the campus annually, stating “Though it is run by a charitable trust, there are donors from abroad who contribute to the institution”.

Among the 15 companies linked to Siddiqui, inactive entities were previously involved in stock trading, import-export operations, energy projects, hospital services, software publishing, and radio-television communication activities. The Al-Falah University investigation focuses particular attention on Al-Falah Investments, where Siddiqui has served as managing director since joining as a director on September 18, 1992. The Al-Falah Charitable Trust, established in 1995 and registered in Delhi’s Okhla, serves as the umbrella organization running the university and several allied institutions, with Siddiqui holding multiple senior positions including chancellor since 2014.

Criminal Past and Fraud Allegations

• In 2000, FIR No. 43/2000 was filed at Delhi’s New Friends Colony police station accusing Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui and associates of duping investors by converting funds into forged shares and diverting approximately Rs 7.5 crore into personal accounts
• Siddiqui was arrested in 2001 and spent over three years in Tihar Jail after the Delhi High Court rejected his bail plea in March 2003, citing Forensic Science Laboratory findings that “signatures of the investors were forged” and “deposits were received in the name of some companies which were non-existent”
• He was granted bail only in February 2004 after agreeing to refund defrauded investors, many of whom were economically vulnerable Muslim families encouraged to invest in so-called ‘halal’ schemes

The Al-Falah University investigation has prompted authorities to re-examine this two-decade-old fraud case with renewed scrutiny. Originally from Kayasth Mohalla in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, Siddiqui is an engineering graduate from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya in Indore, and his father, Mohammad Hamid Siddiqui, served as the Seher Qazi. According to a former colleague who spoke to India Today on condition of anonymity, Siddiqui became a Mechanical Engineering lecturer at Jamia Millia Islamia in 1993, but “his ambitions far exceeded the humble podium of a college”.

During his tenure at Jamia, Siddiqui allegedly convinced colleagues to invest in his business venture, promising hefty returns before the scheme collapsed. The Delhi High Court’s 2003 order noted that investigators found Siddiqui and his associates “diverted large funds received from the investors into their personal accounts and then misappropriated the same”. The Al-Falah University investigation now examines whether similar patterns of financial irregularities continued through the trust’s operations over the past two decades, with the Enforcement Directorate and other financial investigative agencies checking the complete money trail.

Terror Module Connection and Institutional Response

• The spotlight intensified when Dr Umar Nabi, who drove the explosive-laden Hyundai i20 that detonated at 6:52 PM on November 10, was confirmed through DNA testing to be working as an assistant professor at Al-Falah University
• Two other arrested doctors, Dr Muzammil Shakeel (also known as Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie) and Dr Shaheen Shahid, also held positions at the university, prompting investigators to examine whether the institution played any role in facilitating the terror network
• The explosion’s intensity was such that a severed arm was found nearly 300 meters from the blast site, with six cars, two e-rickshaws, and one autorickshaw gutted in the fire

The Al-Falah University investigation revealed that Dr Umar Nabi was in contact with a Turkey-based handler codenamed ‘Ukasa,’ according to National Investigation Agency sources. The blast killed 13 people, with the death toll rising when Bilal, one of the injured, succumbed to his injuries at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital on November 14.

The Al-Falah University investigation intensified after authorities discovered that the blast was caused by ammonium nitrate fuel oil and other explosives, materials whose procurement and storage raised questions about institutional oversight. Al-Falah University’s legal and finance officer Mohammad Razi told Times of India that the institution had “no information” about what the doctors were doing outside their professional duties, stating, “We have many meritorious students whose education should not be affected because of this”.

The university released a statement on November 13 claiming it was extending “full cooperation to the investigating authorities to enable them to arrive at logical and fair conclusions on the vital matter pertaining to national security”. However, the Al-Falah University investigation continues to probe whether the 76-acre campus, which houses a 650-bed hospital offering free treatment with state-of-the-art MRI and CT scan facilities, served as more than just an educational institution. The probe by Delhi Police’s special cell, National Investigation Agency, and Haryana Police now examines the role of staff and faculty in terror-related activities.

Final Perspective

The Al-Falah University investigation represents a convergence of terror allegations, academic fraud, and financial irregularities that spans nearly three decades, from the 1992 establishment of Al-Falah Investments to the present-day national security crisis. As Madhya Pradesh’s Additional SP Rupesh Dwivedi noted, local police are “collecting information about his old contacts and relatives” in the communally sensitive Mhow region, where Siddiqui’s family once resided. The probe reaches far beyond the immediate aftermath of the Red Fort blast that killed 13 innocent civilians.

Delhi Police’s special cell maintains constant coordination with Madhya Pradesh authorities to trace Siddiqui’s network connections, while the Economic Offences Wing has joined the Al-Falah University investigation alongside the Enforcement Directorate and National Investigation Agency. The ongoing multi-agency probe has effectively dismantled what India Today described as the reputation of an institution once positioned as “an alternative to Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia for minority students seeking quality education”.

The Al-Falah University investigation has also triggered an exodus from campus, with students leaving and eight professors suspended as authorities examine two decades of financial records and academic credentials. The comprehensive Al-Falah University investigation continues to expand as forensic auditors work to determine whether the campus served purposes beyond education—purposes that may have facilitated one of Delhi’s deadliest terror attacks in recent years.