Indian influencer Elvish Yadav has reportedly been accused of mistreatment of animals for his alleged role in supplying snake venom to revelers at a party in Noida, India, last November.
Elvish Yadav, a YouTuber with 15 million total followers, was arrested Sunday along with five others under The Wildlife Act and Section 120A of the Indian Penal Code, or criminal conspiracy, according to The Hindustan Times. The charges relate to arrests made at a rave in Noida late last year, in which police recovered nine snakes and 20ml of snake venom, according to Sky News, citing a local NDTV broadcast.
No relief for #ElvishYadav today as the hearing gets postponed. Here’s his latest video from outside a #Noida court. #ElvishYadavARRESTED #ElvishYadavArrest #SnakeVenom https://t.co/XU0UQP8Lun pic.twitter.com/gSl69T9oUv
— Vineeta Kumar (@vineetakumar_) March 20, 2024
The sting came following complaints by Gaurav Gupta of People For Animals, an animal rights NGO, who had raised concerns about Yadav’s alleged use of snakes in his Youtube videos, according to India Today. Although Yadav was not present at the party on November 3, The Hindustan Times reported. People For Animals had reportedly received a tip alleging him to be the supplier, the legal complaint stated. Yadav denied the allegations in an Instagram post in November, India Today reported. “All allegations against me are fake, holding not even 1 percent authenticity,” he said, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Transgender YouTuber Arrested For Allegedly Raping 79-Year-Old Mother)
‘मुझे अपने बच्चे की परवरिश पर गर्व है, मैं हर जन्म में उसका पिता बनना चाहूंगा, मेरे बेटे ने कुछ नहीं किया है’ – एल्विश के पिता
– abp न्यूज़ की एल्विश के माता-पिता से खास बातचीतhttps://t.co/smwhXURgtc@romanaisarkhan | @ElvishYadav #ElvishYadav #ElvishYadavArrested… pic.twitter.com/TUz9m3IxkW
— ABP News (@ABPNews) March 19, 2024
The Bigg Boss OTT winner received 14 days of judicial custody, but his court hearing was postponed due to an ongoing strike, sources told India.com. Snake venom, particularly from Indian kraits and cobras, is often used in India as a recreational drug for its apparent euphoric symptoms, according to The Indian Express.