Noida Police grill Youtuber Elvish Yadav; Probe finds venom glands missing in nine rescued snakes

Yadav, winner of the reality show Bigg Boss OTT, was among those named in the FIR lodged here last week under provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Noida:Bigg Boss winner and YouTuber Elvish Yadav was questioned by the Noida Police early Wednesday in connection with a snake venom case, police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Noida, Harish Chander said, "YouTuber and Bigg Boss winner Elvish Yadav appeared before the Noida police in connection with the snake venom case."

Dr Nikhil Varshney, who headed the probe committee, told media agency that the veterinary department in its probe found that venom glands were missing in all nine snakes, including five cobras, that were rescued on November 3 from possession of the accused persons. Also, teeth were missing in eight of the nine snakes that were rescued. We were asked to conduct the inquiry by the Forest Department and we have submitted our report to it for further action, Dr Varshney said.

Divisional Forest Officer Pramod Kumar Srivastava said his department has received the inquiry report from the Veterinary Department and would now submit it in the court for further legal proceedings.

Yadav, winner of the reality show Bigg Boss OTT, was among those named in the FIR lodged here last week under provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. He was named in the FIR filed in the case along with five others. Five of those alleged accused have since been arrested by the Police. Noida police had on Tuesday sent a notice to Yadav in connection with the case. An FIR was registered against six people including Elvish Yadav in Noida Sector 49 police station for allegedly supplying snake venom at a rave party in Noida.

The case was transferred from Noida's Sector 49 police station to Sector 20 police station on the orders of Gautam Buddha Nagar Police Commissioner Lakshmi Singh. Speaking on the matter, Uttar Pradesh Environment Minister Arun Saxena said, "Law will take its course and no celebrity is bigger than the law."

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Sunday that he has no influence on the case proceedings and emphasized that the police would take action if Elvish is found guilty. Meanwhile, the YouTuber has denied his involvement in the supply of snake venom at the rave party.

Elvish, in a personalized YouTube video on November 4, denied charges against himself, saying that he is ready to surrender if found to be involved in the matter. "When I woke up, I saw the FIR in which it was written that Maneka Gandhi's NGO (People for Animals) had filed this case. That lady was saying that I roam around with snakes around my neck. All that was for the shooting of a song and nothing else. I will not spoil my name and my family's name by indulging in all these illegal activities. If I have even one per cent involvement in this case, I will surrender myself, whether the punishment is 10 years or 100 years. Everyone knows that my level has not fallen so low that I will do this kind of work," Elvish said. (With inputs from PTI)