ED Targets Elvish Yadav For Money Laundering, Bigg Boss OTT 2 Champion Faces Interrogation

Official sources stated Saturday that the Enforcement Directorate has initiated a money laundering investigation against YouTuber Siddharth Yadav, also known as Elvish Yadav , and several others. This action follows suspicions of their alleged involvement in the utilization of snake venom as a recreational substance during parties organized by Yadav.

After acknowledging a First Information Report (FIR) and charge sheet filed by the Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) district police in Uttar Pradesh last month against him and his associates, the central agency has invoked charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against him.

The Enforcement Directorate is currently scrutinizing the alleged generation of proceeds of crime and the utilization of illicit funds for the organization of rave or recreational parties.

Sources indicate that Yadav and several other individuals associated with the case will undergo questioning as part of the ongoing investigation.

On March 17, Yadav was apprehended by the Noida Police in relation to its investigation into the purported utilization of snake venom as a recreational substance during parties allegedly hosted by him.

The 26-year-old YouTuber, who also claimed victory in the reality show Bigg Boss OTT 2 , found himself booked under multiple sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Wildlife Protection Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by the Noida police.

Yadav was one of the six individuals named in an FIR filed at Noida’s Sector 49 Police Station on November 3 last year, following a complaint from a representative of the animal rights NGO People for Animals (PFA).

The five other accused, all snake charmers, were detained in November and subsequently granted bail by a local court.

The five snake charmers were apprehended from a banquet hall in Noida on November 3 last year, during which nine snakes, including five cobras, were rescued from their possession. Additionally, authorities seized 20 ml of suspected snake venom.

In April, the Noida Police submitted a charge sheet exceeding 1,200 pages in the case. The charges listed encompassed snake trafficking, the use of psychotropic substances, and the organization of rave parties , as stated by the police.