On Friday, the Noida Police took legal action against Elvish Yadav, who is not only the winner of Bigg Boss OTT Season 2, but also a popular YouTuber. They have also arrested five individuals in connection with a case involving the distribution of snake venom at a rave party that took place in Noida. Those individuals were officially accused under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, a non-bailable offense carrying a sentence of imprisonment up to seven years. Also, they were remanded to judicial custody for a period of 14 days.
The First Information Report (FIR) was lodged after that formal complaint filed by Gaurav Gupta, an animal welfare officer associated with People for Animals, an NGO affiliated with BJP Member of Parliament Maneka Gandhi. Ms. Gandhi, as an animal rights advocate, had requested the apprehension of the YouTuber and accused him of being involved in the distribution of snakes in both Noida and Gurugram. In response to these allegations, Mr. Yadav has rigorously denied any crime and characterized them as ‘baseless’.
Divisional Forest Officer Pramod Kumar Srivastava reported the successful rescue of five cobras, two sand boas, a python, and a rat snake, all of these reptiles belong to endangered species, he also highlighted the importance of their protection and conservation.
Noida’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Ram Badan Singh, revealed that Mr. Gupta had contacted the police, explaining that he had engaged in a sting operation. This operation involved reaching out to the YouTuber with the intention of procuring snake venom for use at a rave party hosted at a banquet hall in Noida’s Sector 51. Mr. Gupta shared that he had been introduced to an individual named Rahul Yadav, who had consented to the arrangement.
DCP said that, “In a coordinated effort with the Forest Department, a sting operation led to the arrest of all five individuals on the scene, and 20 ml of snake venom was seized”.The venom is currently under examination to determine if it possesses psychotropic properties.
Elvish Yadav, a YouTuber and Instagram sensation with millions of followers, had become famous for hosting shows where he humorously criticized public figures, including a controversial ‘roast’ of Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan. Aryan Khan had faced legal issues in the 2021 drugs-on-cruise case but was subsequently cleared by the Narcotics Control Bureau. Yadav expressed his disapproval of Aryan’s actions in a two-year-old YouTube video.
Recent reports regarding the snake venom images of Mr.Yadav surfaced online alongside multiple Central Ministers. However, his team declined to provide any comments when approached for a response.
