Delhi blast case: Raids underway at Al-Falah University as probe into Red Fort car bombing continues

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted raids across Delhi-NCR in connection with the Red Fort car bomb blast, including at the Okhla office of Al-Falah University in Faridabad, reports said.

Newswire PTI reported that the agency is searching premises linked to the university’s promoters and trustees. Al-Falah has come under scrutiny after several of its employees, including Dr Umar Un Nabi, the main suspect accused of driving the explosive-laden car, were found to be working there as doctors and professors.

Tuesday's development follows the government's order for a forensic audit of all Al-Falah University records, as well as a request to the ED and other financial investigative agencies to examine the university's finances and investigate any suspicious money trails.

The searches are in response to action taken under the anti-money laundering law in connection with purported terror financing links and first information reports filed by the NIA and the Delhi Police in the case.

The searches began around 5:00 AM on 18 November, and the NIA has arrested two persons till now who are alleged to be close aides of "suicide bomber" Dr Umar Nabi.

“Multiple teams of the federal probe agency raided at least 25 premises of the Al Falah trust and University establishment since 5:15 am, ” officials informed PTI. According to the officials, nearly nine shell companies linked to the group are under the examination of the ED. All of these dummy firms are registered at a single address.

Al Falah University founder Jawad is also under scrutiny, and according to reports, the Delhi Police Crime Branch is reviewing his whereabouts. A formal notice was issued to him in the case after two separate cases against Al Falah University were registered, charging him with cheating and forgery.

One FIR alleges that the university accepted admissions despite the expiration of its National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation in 2018. The second FIR pertains to luring students into admissions by falsely claiming a UGC 12B certificate on its official website.

In the Red Fort blast that took place on the evening of 10 November on the Netaji Subhash Marg route, at least 12 people lost their lives, and several others were injured. The initial probe of the blast suggested links with the Faridabad terror module. Investigating agencies found evidence of an organised internal structure, encrypted communication channels and coordinated movement of weapons, official sources informed ANI on Monday.

A major development in the case emerged when a weapon consignment was recovered from a key suspect in the case, Dr Shaheen. A Krinkov rifle and a pistol were recovered from her car, and the probe revealed that Dr Umar procured the weapons and handed them over to Irfan in 2024, who was a part of Signal group created by Umar three months ago. Investigators believe that this group was used for internal coordination and information dissemination, ANI reported citing sources.

Discrepancies and inconsistencies were noted in claims regarding UGC and NAAC recognition, pointing to alleged non-compliance to norms established for educational institutions. Notably, Al Falah Varsity, a medical college-cum-hospital, is located in the Dhouj area of Faridabad district in Haryana, near Delhi.