Al-Falah University founder and managing trustee Javed Ahmed Siddiqui - arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last week on charges of financing terrorism - is also being investigated for illegally acquiring agricultural land near Delhi's Madanpur Khadar.
Siddiqui's university is also being investigated for links to the ammonium nitrate fuel oil-filled Hyundai i20 that exploded near Delhi's Red Fort on November 10. Fifteen people were killed in an attack in which three key suspects - all doctors - were working at the institution in Haryana's Faridabad.
In this case, a group of people have accused the Tarbia Education Foundation of forging documents, including those relating to powers of attorney, to fake ownership and illegally occupy their land. Documents seen by NDTV indicate Siddiqui is the foundation's Director.
NDTV has reached out to Siddiqui and the foundation for a comment.
This copy will be updated as and when a response is received.
The complainants have alleged that Siddiqui exploited his position and influence, and played an active role in the land grab, as well as forging signatures in the names of dead people.
A preliminary inquiry by NDTV indicates 30 of the 65 people whose lands were allegedly stolen were actually dead when they 'signed' the documents. This was reportedly from 2003 to 2004.
One of the complainants, Kuldeep Singh Bidhuri, told NDTV documents pertaining to several parcels of land owned by members of his family had been forged, showing signatures of people who had died years before. "Threats and attempts to compromise were used to force the family to withdraw from the dispute. Despite complaints, no action was taken by local authorities."
Bidhuri's family allegedly lost 1.146 acres of land to the Tarbia Education Foundation.
NDTV also spoke to Dharmendra Bidhuri, who said land owned by his great-grandfather, Nathu Singh, was re-registered in 2013/14. This was done using a power of attorney filed in 2004.
The document seemed to have Singh's signature but his relative, Bidhuri said, died in 1972.
"This land belonged to my great-grandfather... it is our ancestral land. But now Javed Siddiqui and his men have captured it. We have been fighting but we are still struggling."
"We belong to a poor family and this land was a support system," he said.
NDTV visited some of the allegedly stolen land parcels and spoke to people living nearby.
They claimed to have seen suspicious activity, including late-night movement of vehicles and a sign - that earlier advertised the Tarbia Education Foundation - painted over in black.
The fallout of the Red Fort blast has seen increased scrutiny of Siddiqui and the Al-Falah University, as well as other financial dealings of the now-arrested businessman.
READ | Fraud, Forgery, And More: How Al Falah Duped Students Of Crores
The ED told a Delhi court last week Siddiqui received at least Rs 415 crore in illegal payments from parents of students at colleges owned by his organisation; they were lured into paying up based on false claims of accreditation and recognition, news agency PTI said in a report.
An old criminal case involving Siddiqui - in which an associate and he were accused of fraud worth Rs 7.5 crore and jailed for three years - has also been spotlighted.
READ | Al Falah Founder Ran 9 Firms, Jailed In Rs 7.5 Crore Cheating Case
On this count, though, the university's legal advisor, Mohd Razi, denied all fraud charge allegations against Siddiqui, including the Rs 7.5 crore claim. He also told NDTV Siddiqui had "no information" about the recruitment of Dr Muzammil Shakeel, one of the arrested Red Fort blast terror suspects. Hiring (and vetting of new hires) is the Vice-Chancellor's job, Razi said.
