Five individuals have been apprehended in Noida for allegedly providing snakes and their venom at rave parties reportedly organized by social media influencer Elvish Yadav, as stated by the police.
These five men informed the authorities that these parties took place in various farmhouses around Delhi and neighboring areas. They claimed Elvish Yadav utilized the snakes to create content for YouTube and Instagram.
Allegedly, attendees at these rave parties, which reportedly included foreign nationals, consumed snake venom.
According to officials, an FIR involving six individuals, including Elvish Yadav, has been filed. “Five of the six accused have been taken into custody, but Elvish Yadav has not been arrested yet,” the officials mentioned.
Officials recovered nine snakes, five of which were cobras, along with snake venom from the accused. They have handed the snakes over to the Forest Department.
The accused allegedly captured snakes from various locations, extracting their venom, which they purportedly sold at high prices. “They used to charge a considerable amount for supplying the venom at these parties,” stated the police.
Using snake venom as a recreational drug is extremely perilous and can be life-threatening.
The arrests were made by the Noida police after a raid on a rave party in Noida’s Sector 51 following a complaint by an animal welfare NGO, PFA, headed by BJP’s Maneka Gandhi.
Ms. Gandhi has urged the immediate arrest of Elvish Yadav. “Elvish Yadav should be promptly arrested. This is a serious crime that can lead to a seven-year jail term. PFA set a trap and caught these individuals. He exploits endangered snake species in his videos,” she stated.
In contradiction, Elvish Yadav refuted the charges, asserting that they are baseless. He expressed his willingness to cooperate with the police in their investigation. “When I woke up this morning, I saw reports claiming I was arrested and caught with intoxicating substances. All these reports and allegations against me are false,” he stated in a video posted on social media.
Elvish Yadav gained recognition after winning ‘Bigg Boss OTT’ Season 2 earlier in the year. He boasts 7.51 million subscribers on YouTube and 15.6 million followers on Instagram.
