YouTuber Elvish Yadav arrested for ‘providing snake venom as a party drug’ to friends at rave after nine reptiles were found
YOUTUBER Elvish Yadav has been arrested for allegedly supplying snake venom as a party drug at raves.
The Indonesian influencer, who won the second season of big boss OTT was detained for fourteen days last year under the Wildlife Protection Act, local media report.
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His arrest stems from a police raid on a party in Noida in November where attendees used snake venom to intoxicate themselves.
According to Indian broadcaster NDTV, nine snakes, including cobras, were recovered from the group along with 20 ml of snake venom.
Police launched an investigation and questioned five people on suspicion of snake smuggling, all of whom named Yadav as the alleged organizer of the parties and supply of snake venom.
Elvish, along with the five other persons, was named in the First Information Report (FIR) filed in the case.
The popular one YouTuber has since been taken into custody and appeared before the District and Sessions Court in Surajpur, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
Elvish was among the six persons against whom a formal complaint was lodged with the Noida Sector 49 police station for allegedly spreading snake venom at rave parties.
Animal welfare organization People For Animals also alleged that Yadav and others were making videos with snakes and snake venom, according to India Today.
After raiding a banquet hall in Noida Sector 51 last November, police have uncovered a snake smuggling operation.
Five people were arrested from the banquet hall for spreading snake poison, including four snake charmers.
Forensic analysis of samples taken at the scene confirmed the presence of venom from cobra and krait species.
Responding to the situation, Gautam Buddha Nagar Police Commissioner Lakshmi Singh ordered the case to be transferred from Sector 49 police station in Noida to Sector 20 police station.
Uttar Pradesh Environment Minister Arun Saxena stressed that the law will be enforced, stating that no celebrity is above the law.
“The law will take its course, and no celebrity is bigger than the law,” Saxena said.
According to police sources quoted in an NDTV report, Elvish has confessed to arranging snakes and snake poison at the rave events he organized.
Despite initially denying any involvement in the snake venom case, Elvish reportedly admitted during interrogation that he was familiar with the other suspects arrested for supplying snake venom the previous year.
Snake venom as medicine
Being bitten by a venomous snake is life-threatening in itself, but using their venom as medicine can be just as dangerous.
Elvish Yadav’s case has exposed the alleged use of snake venom as a drug, intended to induce intoxication among people at parties and raves.
Although it does not have the same effects as alcohol, the neurotoxins in the poison can cause symptoms that affect the nervous system and other psychological processes.
This can often lead to muscle weakness, paralysis and altered mental status.
Snake venom is often extracted from the reptile before consumption, although in extreme cases the recipient is deliberately bitten on the tongue or lips by the snake.
The snake is injected with chemicals prior to the bite to make the venom more effective.
According to a 2021 study published in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, the psychotropic properties of cobra venom partly resemble the actions of morphine.
Cobras are the most commonly used snakes because of their venom.
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