Hamood Siddique, Brother of Al Falah University director arrested in 25-year-old Mhow fraud case
Investigators checking whether absconder received support during years underground
HYDERABAD: A 25-year-old financial fraud case resurfaced during the ongoing Delhi blast investigation, leading to the arrest of Hamood Siddiqui, brother of Al Falah University director Javed Ahmed Siddiqui, from Hyderabad on Sunday, Madhya Pradesh police said.
Hamood, accused of running a bogus private bank in Mhow in 2000 and allegedly collecting deposits by promising to double returns, had been missing for over two decades. Police said he fled with his family soon after the scam came to light.
Reopened probe leads to arrest
Mhow Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Lalit Singh Sikarwar said Hamood was traced after investigators reviewed the background of director Javed Ahmed Siddiqui as part of a wider line of inquiry.
“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 yesterday,” Sikarwar said.
Officials said a review of family records showed Hamood had been an absconder in the long-pending cheating case. According to sources, he had been living in Hyderabad and working in share trading while maintaining a low profile.
Investigators examining possible links
Police teams are now mapping Hamood’s contacts and movements over the years to determine who may have assisted him while he remained underground.
The arrest comes as multiple agencies investigate the November 11 blast near the Red Fort, which killed thirteen people and injured several others. The prime accused, Dr Umar Un Nabi, had been a student at Al Falah University.
Delhi Police have issued two summons to director Javed Ahmed Siddiqui in connection with the Faridabad terror module probe and two separate cases of alleged forgery and cheating involving the university. Officials said his statement is required to clarify inconsistencies linked to the institution’s functioning and activities of individuals associated with it.
Background inquiries widen
Investigators are examining the university’s records, financial transactions and administrative approvals to understand whether individuals linked to the institution had any connection with suspects in the blast probe.
Hamood’s arrest, officials said, is now being viewed as significant because of the renewed scrutiny on the Siddiqui family and the revival of the decades-old Al Falah Investment Company fraud case. He is being questioned to ascertain whether the scam has any relevance to the current terror-related findings.
