The investigation into the car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort has now reached Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow, after agencies found possible links between the case and doctors associated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad. The University’s activities are also under scrutiny by multiple probe agencies.
As part of this probe, Mhow Police have arrested Hamood Siddiqui on Sunday (16th November) from Hyderabad. He is the younger brother of the Chancellor of Al-Falah University, Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, officials said on Monday (17th November).
Accused was missing for 25 years in a major fraud case
According to media reports, Hamood had been absconding for nearly 25 years. He is accused of running a chit fund and investment scheme in Mhow, through which he promised to double investors’ money and siphoned off several crores. His victims reportedly included not just businessmen but also salaried middle-class families.
The three cases were registered against Hamood Siddiqui in 2000 under Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and other relevant legal provisions, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Yangchen Dolkar Bhutia told reporters.
In addition to these, two separate cases were registered against him at the Mhow police station in 1988 and 1989 on charges of rioting and attempt to murder, she said.
“A reward of Rs 10,000 was announced for Hamood Siddiqui’s arrest in 2019,” the official said.
Earlier, on Monday (17th November), Mhow Sub Divisional Officer of Police Lalit Singh Sikarwar told PTI, “Hamood vanished from Mhow in 2000 after allegedly establishing a bogus private bank and luring hundreds of residents with promises of doubling their deposits. He had fled with his family soon after the scam surfaced, leaving authorities searching for him for decades. He was arrested in Hyderabad on Sunday.”
The arrest was made after the Mhow police began re-examining the background of Jawad Siddiqui, and his local roots came to light, the official said.
Mhow police officials, including Indore Rural SP said they had been searching for Hamood for years. However, he went underground after sensing that the police were closing in on him. For a long time, investigators had no information about his whereabouts. Once agencies began questioning people during the Red Fort blast probe, fresh leads emerged, eventually helping the police trace him.
Allegations of using investment firms to move money
Police sources say that once the Delhi blast investigation revealed a possible Mhow connection, authorities began reviewing old records involving Jawad Siddiqui and his family. This brought back focus to earlier fraud cases, and the search for Hamood intensified. Investigators suspect that Jawad may have created “Al-Falah Investment Company” in his absconding brother’s name, using it to collect large amounts of money from people.
Living as a share trader in Hyderabad
During his years on the run, Hamood was living in Hyderabad, introducing himself as a share trader. Police tracked him down by tracing his relatives and contacts. After confirming his location, a team reached Hyderabad and arrested him. Hamood was reportedly running a firm called Richcom Private Ltd.
Hamood will now be brought back to Mhow, where police will investigate his financial activities, the people he stayed in contact with, and where the fraud money was routed over the past two decades. Authorities believe several layers of the case will unfold as questioning continues.