Six persons were arrested by the Noida Police on Thursday, including YouTuber Elvish Yadav, on allegations of distributing opioids made from snake venom at a party. The charges stem from the Wildlife (Protection) Act and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code.
Five of the people included in the FIR were taken into custody by the police, while Yadav, who in a social media video posted on Friday morning denied any involvement in the incident, is reportedly running away. During a raid at a banquet hall in Sector 51 of Noida, where the five accused associates of Yadav were arrested, a joint team of the Gautam Budh Nagar district forest department and the Noida Police found nine snakes, including five cobras, and snake venom, stated Police.
“On the basis of a complaint filed by an animal welfare activist associated with People For Animals at Sector 49 police station, an FIR was registered against six people including Youtuber Elvish Yadav for having a party at a banquet hall in Sector 51 and providing snake venom for recreational purposes. Five people arrested have been identified as Rahul, Titunath, Jayakaran, Narayan and Ravinath, while Elvish Yadav is absconding. Nine snakes have been recovered from the possession of the suspects as well. Further investigation is underway,” an official statement from Noida Police said.
Yadav is a social media celebrity and the Bigg Boss reality show champion.
According to the complaint submitted to the police, complainant Gaurav Gupta, a member of PFA alleged: “We had received information that Bigg Boss winner Elvish Yadav organises rave parties. In which they regularly invite, foreign women, and consume snake venom and intoxicants. We also had received information that Elvish Yadav shoots videos with live snakes in rave parties at farm houses in NCR”.
The complaint further states that PFA contacted Elvish Yadav posing as a customer.
“We asked them to organise a party after which on November 2, we reached the banquet hall where it was decided to be held. We informed the forest department and the local police as well. After which five people involved in smuggling of poisonous snakes were caught, as they showed us the banned snakes,” states the complaint.
“About 20 ml of snake venom was found in a bottle and a total of nine snakes were found (seized) from the suspects, including five cobras, one python, two two-headed snakes (sand snake) and one rat snake (horse back snake). When asked, the suspects told that they use these snakes and snake venom at rave parties,” the FIR states.
The suspects have been booked under Sections 9 (Prohibition of hunting), 39 (hunted animals to be government property) 48(A) (restriction on transportation of wildlife) , 49 (prohibition of dealings in animal articles),50 (empowers forest officer to arrest person involved in an offence against the Act), 51(violation of chapter VA of Act will lead to imprisonment which may extend to seven years) of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
However, the police have not filed any charges against the accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
In a video posted on Friday on X (previously Twitter), Yadav denied the accusations.
“I just woke up and saw the news stating that I have been involved in illegal activities and have been arrested. I assure you that I am not involved in these activities and all these allegations are false. I urge the UP Police, authorities, including Honourable Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, that even if even 0.01 percent of my involvement is found, I am ready to take responsibility. I am ready to cooperate with the UP Police. I request media not to defame me,” Yadav said in the video.
Commenting on a video on social media where he can be seen posing with a snake, Yadav said it was six months old. “This scene is from a music video shoot and is 6 months old. Don’t believe in everything”.
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Source: HT
