THE Law Enforcement Branch has filed a money laundering case against YouTuber Siddharth Yadav alias Elvish Yadav and a few others, accused of allegedly using snake venom as a recreational drug in parties organized by him, official sources said on Saturday.
The central agency filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognizance of an FIR and charge sheet filed by the Gautam Buddh Nagar district police ( Noida) in Uttar Pradesh last month against him and others linked to him.
The alleged generation of proceeds of crime and use of illicit funds for organizing rave or recreational parties are under the scanner of the ED.
Yadav and a few others linked to the case will be questioned as part of the investigation, the sources said.
Yadav was arrested on March 17 by the Noida police as part of their investigation into the alleged use of snake venom as a recreational drug at parties he allegedly organized.
The 26-year-old YouTuber, also a winner of reality show Bigg Boss OTT 2, has been booked under various 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 among six people named in an FIR filed at Noida’s Sector 49 police station on November 3 following a complaint filed by a representative of animal rights NGO People for Animals (PFA ).
The other five accused, all snake charmers, were arrested in November and released on bail by a local court.
The five snake charmers were arrested from a banquet hall in Noida on November 3 last year and nine snakes, including five cobras, were rescued from their possession, while 20 ml of suspected snake venom was also seized.
According to the police, Yadav was not present in the banquet hall then.
In April, the Noida police filed a charge sheet of over 1,200 pages in the case.
The charges relate to snake trafficking, the use of psychotropic substances and the organization of rave parties, the police said.