Snake venom case: Noida Police arrests two associates of Elvish Yadav

Noida Police on Wednesday arrested two associates of YouTuber Elvish Yadav over its probe into suspected use of snake venoms as recreational drugs in parties, officials said.

The arrest of the duo comes close on the heels of the police nabbing Yadav on Sunday after questioning him in the case.

The duo's name had not featured in the original FIR, lodged at the Sector 49 Police Station in Noida on November 3, but their links in the case surfaced during the investigation, a senior officer said.

"Those arrested have been identified as Ishwar (50) and Vinay Yadav (25). Ishwar runs a banquet hall in Gurugram while Vinay is a social media influencer and close friend of Elvish Yadav," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Shakti Mohan Avasthy said.

"Both the accused have been booked under the same charges as Elvish Yadav, which include the consumption of drugs, organising such parties and trafficking of wildlife species," Avasthy told PTI.

Elvish Yadav, the 26-year-old controversial social media influencer, is currently lodged in the Luksar Jail in Greater Noida and awaiting hearing of his bail please in the local court, according to officials.

He was among six people named in an FIR lodged at Noida's Sector 49 Police Station on November 3 last year. The five other accused, identified as snake charmers, were arrested in November but are currently out on bail, the officials said.

The case was lodged under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Indian Penal Code sections 120B (party to criminal conspiracy), 284 (negligent conduct related to poison that endangers human safety) and 289 (negligent conduct with respect to animals), according to police.

Charges under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act have recently been added in the case.

While Yadav has refuted the charges of involvement in the case, BJP leader Maneka Gandhi has in the past accused him of involvement in illegally selling snake venom and sought arrest.

The FIR was lodged on the complaint of an official of animal rights NGO People for Animals (PFA). Gandhi is PFA's chairperson.

On November 4, Yadav was briefly stopped for questioning by police in Rajasthan's Kota while he was travelling with his friends in a car but was let off soon.