NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a money laundering case against Elvish Yadav, winner of Bigg Boss (OTT) and a social media influencer, following an FIR filed by Noida Police in November 2023. Yadav was previously arrested by Noida Police in connection with an alleged case of peddling snake venom.
Despite the accusations, the social media influencer has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Noida Police have arrested a total of eight suspects in the case. On March 22, a Noida court granted Yadav bail amid ongoing legal proceedings.
The investigative agency’s Lucknow unit has initiated a case against Yadav and others under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) related to the snake venom incident due to the significant amount of money involved in the operation, a senior ED official stated. It is further informed that the team is likely to interrogate Yadav and other individuals implicated in the previous case.
On April 6, Yadav and seven others were charged under the Wildlife Conservation Act by the Gautam Buddha Nagar police, nearly six months after the initial FIR was lodged. The chargesheet, comprising 1,200 pages, delineates the smuggling of snakes and their venomous use at parties.
Alleged communications between Yadav and snake handlers were detailed, alongside the recovery of a poisonous snake and 20 ml of krait snake venom from the party venue, according to news agencies.
Despite Yadav vehemently denying the allegations as “baseless and false,” police retracted charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against him, citing an error on their part.