Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner and social media influencer Elvish Yadav has been summoned by the Lucknow unit of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case linked to the snake venom incident. The snake venom case, in which Yadav is a prime suspect, was registered in May under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following an FIR and a charge sheet filed by the police in Noida.
Elvish Yadav has been asked to appear before the ED for questioning on July 23, after expressing his inability to appear on July 8 due to his foreign tour. The social media influencer is currently in the United Kingdom. According to the Hindustan Times, a senior ED official reported that Yadav’s close associate, Haryana singer Rahul Yadav, known as Fazilpuriya, was questioned for several hours at the ED Lucknow office on Monday (July 8).
Fazilpuriya was interrogated about the use of a snake in one of his popular songs. Additionally, Elvish Yadav’s other aides, Ishwar Yadav and Vinay Yadav, have been questioned in the past regarding this matter.
For those unfamiliar with the case, the use and supply of snake venom at a rave party in Noida were linked to Elvish Yadav by Gautam Buddh Nagar police. The FIR was lodged by an official from People for Animals (PFA). Besides the Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner, five other accused have been named in the FIR.
In May this year, the ED registered a case under the PMLA in the snake venom incident, considering the significant amount of money involved in the racket.
Due to his suspected involvement in supplying snake venom and organizing rave parties, Elvish Yadav was arrested by Noida police on March 17. The YouTuber faced charges under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the Wildlife Protection Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). However, he was released on bail after spending almost a week in a high-security prison.