ED Seizes Properties of YouTuber Elvish Yadav and Others in Wildlife Case
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has seized properties worth Rs 52.49 lakh in connection with popular content creators under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a wildlife case. The assets include agricultural land in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district and bank accounts linked to content creators Siddharth Yadav, also known as Elvish Yadav, Rahul Yadav, also known as Fazilpuria, and Sky Digital India Pvt. Ltd.
According to an ED statement, the properties were seized under the PMLA, 2002. The ED posted on X, ‘ED, Lucknow has provisionally attached properties comprising agricultural land at Bijnor (Uttar Pradesh) and bank deposits worth Rs 52.49 lakh belonging to Rahul Yadav alias Fazilpuria, Elvish Yadav and M/s Sky Digital India Pvt. Ltd. under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 in the ‘wildlife case.’
Earlier in July, YouTuber and Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner Elvish Yadav appeared before ED’s Lucknow-based unit for questioning in connection with a money laundering case linked to a snake venom-rave party incident. In May, the ED registered a case under the PMLA based on the FIR and charge sheet filed by the Noida police against Elvish Yadav and others involved in the snake venom case.
In November last year, the People for Animals (PFA) organisation filed an FIR against six people, including Elvish. The FIR was registered in Noida Sector 49 police station for allegedly supplying snake venom suspected to be used as a recreational drug at a rave party in Noida. The case was later transferred to Sector 20 police station on the orders of Gautam Buddha Nagar Police Commissioner Lakshmi Singh.
Elvish was arrested on March 17, along with five others, and all were charged under the Wildlife (Protection) Act and Section 120A (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. Elvish was granted bail by Gautam Buddha Nagar District Court five days after his arrest. Later, police arrested two more suspects, Ishwar and Vinay, both residents of Haryana and known to Elvish.
On April 6, the Noida police filed a chargesheet against Elvish and seven others, detailing allegations ranging from snake smuggling to organising rave parties. The 1200-page chargesheet stated that Elvish was in touch with snake charmers and that a poisonous snake and 20 millilitres of venom from the Krait species were recovered from the location.
Doubts Revealed
ED -: ED stands for the Directorate of Enforcement. It is a government agency in India that investigates financial crimes like money laundering.
YouTuber -: A YouTuber is someone who makes videos and shares them on YouTube, a popular video-sharing website.
Elvish Yadav -: Elvish Yadav is a person who makes funny and entertaining videos on YouTube. He is quite popular in India.
Wildlife Case -: A wildlife case involves breaking laws that protect animals and nature. In this case, it involves smuggling snakes and organizing illegal parties.
Rs 52.49 lakh -: Rs 52.49 lakh is a way to say 5,249,000 rupees, which is a lot of money in India.
Rahul Yadav -: Rahul Yadav is another person involved in this case. He might be related to Elvish Yadav or just another person under investigation.
Sky Digital India Pvt. Ltd. -: Sky Digital India Pvt. Ltd. is a company that is also involved in this case. Pvt. Ltd. means it is a private limited company.
PMLA -: PMLA stands for the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. It is a law in India to stop people from hiding money they got illegally.
Agricultural land -: Agricultural land is land used for farming and growing crops.
Bank accounts -: Bank accounts are places where people keep their money in banks.
Snake venom-rave party -: A snake venom-rave party is an illegal party where people might use snake venom as a drug. It is very dangerous and against the law.
Snake smuggling -: Snake smuggling means illegally capturing and selling snakes, which is harmful to wildlife.
Rave parties -: Rave parties are big, loud parties with lots of music and dancing, often involving illegal activities.
