The Enforcement Directorate has summoned YouTuber Siddharth Yadav, more popularly known as Elvish Yadav, to appear before its Lucknow unit on July 23 for questioning in relation to alleged money laundering that occurred at his snake venom rave party, Hindustan Times reported, citing senior ED officials.
Yadav was given “relaxation” and summoned “later” on July 23 by the ED after he expressed his inability to appear on July 8 due to his tour abroad, an official told HT.
The official added that Haryana singer and Yadav's close aide Rahul Yadav aka Fazilpuriya, was questioned by the ED for hours on July 8, for using snakes in the music video for one of his songs.
Other associates of Elvish Yadav, such as Ishwar Yadav and Vinay Yadav, were also questioned some time back, the report added.
Delhi's Gautam Buddh Nagar police in April this year filed a 1,200 page charge sheet against Yadav, and seven others, in relation to the snake venom incident under sections of the Wildlife Conservation Act. This came six months after the FIR was first registered in November 2023 by the People for Animals (PFA) organization.
Notably, the police filed and later dropped charges against Yadav under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, calling it a “mistake”.
Further, in May, the ED had registered a case against Yadav under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), for alleged money racketeering.
Yadav was arrested in March and sent to judicial custody before being released on bail. He has called all allegations “baseless and fake”.
The ED investigation will look at alleged financial transactions associated with the supply of snake venom at various locations including big hotels, clubs, resorts, and farmhouses in Delhi-NCR.
The PMLA case is based on the Noida police charge sheet against Yadav and seven others involved in the snake venom case.
(With inputs from ANI)
