Elvish Yadav questioned again by ED for several hours in money laundering case

YouTuber Elvish Yadav was again summoned for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday (September 5) in connection with the money laundering case linked to a snake venom rave party incident.

Elvish Yadav appeared before the ED zonal office in Lucknow and was questioned for several hours. Big Boss OTT 2 winner Elvish Yadav was last summoned by the ED in July 2024.

THE CASE

People for Animals (PFA) had filed a complaint against six people, including Elvish Yadav, in November last year. The complaint was lodged against the six at Noida Sector 49 police station for allegedly supplying snake venom, suspected to be used as a recreational drug, at a rave party in Noida.

Following the complaint, Elvish Yadav and five others were arrested in March. Yadav was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. They have all been charged under the Wildlife (Protection) Act and Section 120A (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Elvish Yadav was, however, granted bail by the Gautam Buddha Nagar district court five days after his arrest.

The YouTuber also posted a 14-minute video after his bail, in which he talks about his time in jail, saying it was a “very bad phase of his life.” He also expressed gratitude to the people who supported him and announced that he would focus on his work in the coming times.

“The past week has probably been a very bad time in my life. What can I say about the time I spent in prison. Let’s start a new chapter on a positive note. All those who supported me did not support me, spoke well or badly about me, thank you all. I can only thank everyone. I am back to work,” he said.

The 1,200-page charge sheet said that Elvish Yadav had been in contact with snake charmers. A venomous snake, along with 20 millilitres of Krait venom, was recovered from the scene.

Based on the FIR and chargesheet filed by the Noida Police, the law enforcement agency registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in May 2024.