YouTuber Elvish held in snake venom case

New Delhi, March 17

The Noida Police arrested YouTuber Elvish Yadav on Sunday in connection with a probe into the suspected use of snake venom as a recreational drug at a rave party four months earlier.

Yadav, a winner of the reality show Bigg Boss OTT, was produced in a special court in Surajpur, which sent the 26-year-old social media influencer to 14-day judicial custody.

He was one of six people named in the FIR lodged at Noida’s Sector 49 police station on November 3. Five other accused, identified as snake charmers, had been arrested earlier but are currently out on bail.

The case involved charges under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and Sections 120B (party to criminal conspiracy), 284 (negligent conduct related to poison that endangers human safety), and 289 (negligent conduct with respect to animals) of the IPC, along with provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The police said Yadav was arrested after evidence, including those linked to the NDPS Act, was found during the investigation. Samples collected during the probe were confirmed by a forensic laboratory as snake venom.