Fraud, Forgery, And More: How Al Falah University Duped Students Of Crores

Widespread irregularities have emerged at the Faridabad-based Al Falah Charitable Trust and its affiliated institutions that have been under the scanner amid a probe into the November 10 Delhi blast. The institutions have been accused of making huge profits by showing false accreditation, with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) claiming before the court that it had earned about Rs 415 crore through false claims.

Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, founder and chairman of the Al Falah, was arrested by the ED in the terror financing-linked money laundering investigation. A court has remanded him to ED custody for 13 days—till December 1.

The probe into the alleged violations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has revealed that the bank accounts and income tax returns (ITRs) of the institutions were under a single Permanent Account Number (PAN), indicating that financial control had been vested in a single trust.

Read: Al Falah Students Split Between Going Home And Staying For Exams Amid Probe

An examination of the ITRs since 2014-15 showed shocking figures. The ITRs revealed that during 2014-15 and 2015-16, Rs 30.89 crore and Rs 29.48 crore were shown as donations. From 2016-17 onwards, the university began showing its income as academic income. A sharp rise in income was noted since 2018-19. The income went up from Rs 24.21 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 80.01 crore in 2024-25. This totalled Rs 415 crore during these seven years.

The university collected full fees from the students even while operating without accreditation. This falls under the ambit of fraud and forgery. The cases filed against the university alleged that students were admitted using false accreditation, fake documents were prepared, and "illegal income" was generated based on these charges.

During the PMLA probe, concrete evidence was found that showed that the university defrauded the public and student fees were used for personal and private purposes, the ED alleged.

Read: Universities' Body Suspends Al Falah's Membership After Red Fort Blast

Besides, it has also been admitted that Jawad Siddiqui, who is also the Chancellor of the University, made all major financial decisions. For instance, Mohammad Razi, Al Falah's chief financial officer, stated that he reported directly to Siddiqui and that he took the final call on any financial matter.

The Al Falah University, spread over 70 acres in Faridabad, is a common link between several terror suspects being probed in connection with the blast near Red Fort that claimed the lives of 13 people on November 10.

Dr Umar Mohammad alias Dr Umar un-Naib, who blew himself up in an i20 car, as well as his associates Shaheen Saeed, Muzammil Shakeel, and Adil Rather worked at the Al Falah. They also allegedly smuggled chemicals from the university lab for the explosive that Mohammad triggered near Red Fort.