YouTuber Elvish Yadav, 26, was interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for nearly eight hours on Thursday at its Lucknow headquarters. The questioning revolved around rave parties, the supply of snake venom, and other related matters.
ED officials grilled Yadav about the use of snake venom at these parties, the organizers involved, and his connections with them. Yadav, who won Bigg Boss OTT 2 in 2023, is known for being a controversial figure. The agency also questioned him about his properties, luxury vehicles, bank accounts, and seized his mobile phone for examination.
Case Linked to Snake Venom Racket
The ED’s case against Yadav was registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in May 2023. The case involves the supply of snake venom at rave parties, a racket that reportedly involves large sums of money. ED officers reviewed videos, contacts, and messages from Yadav’s phone during the interrogation. After the long session, Yadav left the ED headquarters.
The case stems from an earlier FIR and charge sheet filed by Gautam Buddh Nagar police. They arrested Yadav on March 17 as part of an investigation into the use of snake venom as a recreational drug at parties allegedly organized by him.
Arrest and Charges Against Yadav
Yadav faces charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the Wildlife Protection Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He was first named in an FIR on November 3, 2022, filed at the Sector 49 police station in Noida following a complaint by the animal rights group People for Animals (PFA).
The same FIR also included five snake charmers, who were arrested at a banquet hall in Noida. Authorities rescued nine snakes, including five cobras, and seized 20 ml of suspected snake venom during the raid. All five accused were granted bail.
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