NIA Tightens Net on ‘White Coat Terror’, ED Arrests Al Falah Trust Chairman

New Delhi: As the National Investigation Agency (NIA) continues its crackdown on the “white coat terror” module behind the Red Fort blast, investigators are confronting the 10 arrested terror suspects to uncover the full extent of the jihadist network and the larger conspiracy. In a parallel probe, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating the money-laundering angle of the module’s terror financing, secured 13 days’ custodial remand of Al Falah Trust chairman Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui.

Sources said the eight suspects arrested prior to the blast are directly or indirectly linked to the Al Falah Trust–run medical college in Faridabad. The NIA is confronting each accused with others to connect the dots, map the network, and identify their handlers.

The interrogations also aim to expose the wider ecosystem of sympathisers, financiers, and ideological backers operating across states, who infiltrated educational institutions being misused as fronts under the guise of academia, the sources said.

“The university’s role emerged during a probe into a ‘white-collar’ terror module in which 10 people, including three doctors, have been arrested by the NIA and Jammu and Kashmir Police,” the sources added.

Earlier in the day, the ED secured 13 days’ remand of Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, accused of dishonestly generating more than ₹415 crore from students studying in institutions run by the Al Falah group.

During the late-night hearing between Tuesday and Wednesday, the ED argued that Siddiqui had “incentives” to flee India, as several close family members are settled in Gulf countries.

Siddiqui was arrested on Tuesday night after day-long searches targeting the group, its associates and Faridabad-based Al Falah University, which has emerged as the epicentre of the investigation into the November 10 Delhi blast that killed 15 people and injured several others.

The ED registered its money-laundering case on November 14 after taking cognisance of two FIRs filed by the Delhi Police.

The agency told the court that Siddiqui’s arrest was necessary due to the risk of absconding and potential non-cooperation. It described Siddiqui as the founder and managing trustee who “controlled the mind” of the Al Falah charitable trust and exercised de facto authority over the university and its institutions.

The ED said Siddiqui’s custodial interrogation was essential to trace and quantify the entire “proceeds of crime”, including undeclared funds not reflected in official income-tax filings, and to enable timely attachment and confiscation under the PMLA.

The agency also warned that Siddiqui has “command” over university staff handling admission records, fee ledgers, accounts and IT systems, and could “destroy or alter records”.

“The entire Al Falah educational ecosystem is controlled by him (Siddiqui) and only a portion of the proceeds of crime, worth ₹415.10 crore, has been identified so far,” the ED told the court.