Al Falah varsity used 'expired' accreditation to draw students, chairman in judicial custody: Police

New Delhi: The accreditation of Faridabad-based Al Falah University lapsed in 2018 but it continued to invite students by not removing the expired UGC recognition from its official platforms, a police official said on Thursday.

The information surfaced during the ongoing probe against the university's chairman, Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, who was arrested by the Delhi Police's Crime Branch on January 27 in connection with the two FIRs registered against him accusing him of fraud and related offences based on a complaint by University Grants Commission (UGC).

On January 31, a court sent him to 14 days of judicial custody, they said.

The university came under the scanner of security agencies after three doctors associated with the university's medical institute were named as suspects in the blast near the Red Fort on November 10.

The suspects were alleged to be part of a terror module involved in the blast and included Umar Nabi who was allegedly driving the car that exploded near the Red Fort.

According to police sources, despite the accreditation period ending in 2018, the university continued to present itself as UGC-recognised on the university's website and other material, allegedly to lure admissions.

Police said Siddiqui was earlier taken into four-day police custody from January 27 for questioning regarding accreditation claims and courses offered by the university, including the B Ed and engineering programmes.

The action by the Crime Branch followed earlier proceedings by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which had arrested Siddiqui in November last year in a money laundering case linked to the institution.

The ED had earlier told a Delhi court that the university generated alleged proceeds of crime worth Rs 45 crore by dishonestly inducing students to enroll "using false claims".

In January, the agency attached immovable properties worth Rs 139.97 crore linked to the university while filing a chargesheet in the case.

Investigators have alleged that institutional funds were layered through family-controlled entities and that foreign remittances were made in favour of Siddiqui's family members. Agencies are examining the financial trail as well as academic and accreditation records. Further investigation is underway, police said.