New Delhi, Nov 20:
At least 10 people, including three from Kashmir, who were studying or working at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, have gone missing. Their mobile phones are switched off, and their disappearance came to light during a joint operation by Jammu and Kashmir Police and Haryana Police.
While agencies have not reached a conclusion yet, early intelligence inputs suggest the missing individuals may be linked to the “terror doctor” module that detonated an ammonium nitrate–filled Hyundai i20 near the Red Fort.
Over 200 doctors and staff members of Al-Falah University are now under the scanner. Security agencies have been making frequent checks on campus, leading to concern among students and staff. Several employees were seen leaving the university with their belongings. According to university sources, many are going on leave and returning home.
Investigators are trying to determine how many people left the university after the blast. Many individuals have deleted mobile data, which will also be examined. Police are searching hostels and rented accommodations outside campus. More than 1,000 people have been questioned so far.
A 35-year-old Anganwadi worker from Nuh, who had rented a room to suicide bomber Dr Umar Un Nabi, has been detained. She had been absconding since the blast. Her family is also under investigation, and seven other people in Nuh have been questioned over links to Umar. The bomber used multiple phones during his stay in the area.
Following the exposure of Al-Falah Medical College’s suspected terror links, patient footfall at its hospital has sharply dropped—from around 200 daily OPD patients to less than 100.
Sources said investigators are probing whether there was an internal handler at the university, as Umar reportedly received unusual preferential treatment. Two doctors said Umar remained absent for nearly six months in 2023 without any explanation and yet resumed duty without facing action. They said he rarely taught classes and mostly returned to his room after short lectures. He was also consistently assigned evening or night shifts, never the morning shift.
Multiple agencies are now working simultaneously at the university, including the NIA, Delhi Police Special Cell, UP ATS, Faridabad Crime Branch and J-K Police. A temporary command centre has been set up inside the campus. On Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate also arrived for searches.
Meanwhile, the ED has secured a 13-day custodial remand of Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, chairperson of the Al-Falah group. Siddiqui is accused of generating over Rs 415 crore through false claims of NAAC and UGC accreditation, misleading students and parents. The ED said he may attempt to flee the country as some of his close relatives are based in the Gulf.
The remand was granted after a late-night hearing that concluded around 1 am at the residence of Additional Sessions Judge Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan. Siddiqui was arrested after day-long raids at 19 locations linked to the university and associated individuals. The ED told the court that the university generated at least Rs 415.10 crore in proceeds of crime through dishonest means.
The court granted 13 days of ED custody, noting that the investigation is at an early stage and the allegations are serious.
