New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated a money laundering investigation targeting popular YouTuber Siddharth Yadav, known as Elvish Yadav, along with several associates. The probe is centered around the suspicion that snake venom was used as a recreational drug at parties reportedly organized by Yadav.
After reviewing a First Information Report (FIR) and a subsequent charge sheet submitted by the Gautam Buddh Nagar district police in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, the ED has invoked the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The focus of the inquiry is the purported creation of criminal proceeds and the deployment of these illicit funds in the orchestration of rave or recreational parties.
Yadav, alongside others implicated in the case, is slated to undergo questioning as part of the ED’s investigative process.
Previously, on March 17, Yadav was apprehended by the Noida Police for his alleged involvement in the utilization of snake venom at parties he is accused of hosting. The 26-year-old, who rose to fame as the victor of the reality show Bigg Boss OTT 2, faces charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Wildlife Protection Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Yadav was one of six individuals named in an FIR filed at the Sector 49 Police Station in Noida on November 3, following a complaint by a representative from the animal rights organization People for Animals (PFA).
In a related arrest, five snake charmers were taken into custody in November from a banquet hall in Noida. Authorities rescued nine snakes, including five cobras, and confiscated 20 ml of what is believed to be snake venom. Yadav was reportedly not present at the location during the raid.
In April, the Noida Police submitted an extensive charge sheet spanning over 1,200 pages. The listed accusations encompass snake trafficking, the use of psychotropic substances, and the organization of rave parties.
