ED summons Elvish Yadav in snake venom money laundering case
Elvish Yadav, a social media influencer and winner of Bigg Boss OTT 2, has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning related to a money laundering case. The case is tied to an incident involving the use of snake venom at a rave party. The Lucknow unit of the ED reportedly scheduled Yadav's questioning for July 23, after he cited his foreign tour as an excuse for not appearing earlier on Monday (July 8).
Yadav named 'prime suspect' in the snake venom case
Yadav is a prime suspect in the snake venom case, which was registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in May. The case followed an FIR and a chargesheet filed by Noida Police. The Gautam Buddh Nagar Police claim that Yadav registered the use and supply of snake venom at a rave party. An official from People for Animals (PFA) lodged the FIR, naming Yadav and five others as accused.
Yadav's close associate Fazilpuriya was recently grilled by ED
Meanwhile, according to Hindustan Times, a senior official from the ED stated that Rahul Yadav aka Fazilpuriya, a well-known singer from Haryana, was interrogated for several hours at the ED's Lucknow office on Monday. Fazilpuriya faced questions regarding the use of a snake in one of his popular songs. Additionally, Ishwar Yadav and Vinay Yadav, associates of Yadav, were previously questioned in connection with the same issue.
Yadav's arrest and release in connection with snake venom case
Yadav was arrested by Noida Police on March 17 for his suspected involvement in supplying snake venom and organizing rave parties. He faced charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the Wildlife Protection Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). After spending nearly a week in a high-security prison, Yadav was released on bail. The legal proceedings against him were initiated following a complaint from Gaurav Gupta—a representative of BJP MP Maneka Gandhi's organization, People for Animals.
Charges dropped against Yadav in snake venom case
The Gautam Buddh Nagar Police filed a 1,200-page chargesheet under the Wildlife Conservation Act against Yadav and seven others. The chargesheet detailed how snakes were smuggled and their venom used at parties. Yadav refuted these charges as "baseless and fake." Later, the police dropped charges under the NDPS Act against him, citing it as a "mistake" on their part. The ED is currently investigating the alleged generation of proceeds of crime for organizing raves or parties.
