Youtuber Elvish Yadav being produced in a court in the snake venom case, in Greater Noida.
Credit: PTI Photo
Big Boss OTT winner Elvish Yadav has been arrested in connection with the snake venom rave party and remanded to a 14-day judicial custody.
According to a report by the Economic Times, he faces charges under the Wildlife Act for arranging snake venom at parties.
The 26-year-old YouTuber initially denied any involvement but later confessed to arranging snake venom for rave parties, the publication quoted police sources as saying.
The case revolves around the alleged use of snake venom as a recreational drug at rave parties in Noida. Yadav is accused of arranging venom and using snakes in his video shoots.
According to a report by NDTV, a snake smuggling racket was busted in November 2023 after a raid on a banquet hall in Noida Sector 561, leading to arrest of five persons and the recovery of 20 ml of suspected snake venom.
The publication reported that nine snakes, including cobras, were also recovered from them.
According to another report by the NDTV, the samples from the rave party were sent to the Jaipur FSL for analysis, resulting in an FIR against Yadav at the Noida Sector 49 police station.
Forensic investigation had revealed the use of venom from cobra and krait species of snakes in the samples which were seized from the party.
Yadav was not only accused of attending the party but also of being involved in the supply and use of snake venom.
Yadav's involvement was revealed through questioning. Sources mentioned that the snakes in his videos were arranged by a Bollywood singer Fazilpuria, as reported by the ET.
The accused stated that they supplied venom at parties organised by Yadav, a statement which was confirmed after Gaurav Gupta, a member of the People for Animals (PFA) NGO, complained and further police investigation last year.
According to the publication, Gupta said that he had contacted Yadav for snake venom as part of a trap. During the call, Gupta was given a phone number, after which he contacted the five accused, the police said.
According to NDTV, former union minister Maneka Gandhi also accused Yadav of being involved in illegally selling snake venom and sought his immediate arrest.
For now, Yadav has been shifted from a quarantine cell to a high-security barrack.
Regarding Yadav's case, DCP Noida Vidya Sagar Mishra said, "We are observing the entire video footage and investigating the role of each person. All the people whose names come forward will be interrogated. There are many videos available on YouTube and we are investigating this as well..."`
Uses of snake venom
Snake venom is often used as a recreational drug. The smuggling of snake venom is a multi-million-dollar illicit industry. According to a report by the Indian Express, the Border Security Force (BSF) in West Bengal’s Dakshin Dinajpur district seized a jar containing 2.14 kg of snake venom, valued at Rs 17 crore in the international market.
For decades, scientists have been studying the medicinal uses of snake venom and have discovered a wide range of benefits for human health.
One of the most well-known medicinal uses of snake venom is the development of anti-venom. Anti-venom is a treatment used to counter the toxic effects of snake venom.
It is made by injecting small amounts of venom into animals, such as horses or sheep, and then collecting their antibodies. These antibodies are then purified and used to create an anti-venom that can be used to treat snakebite victims.
Anti-venom can be used to neutralise the venom and preventing it from causing further damage to the body.
Researchers have discovered another important medicinal use of snake venom in making blood pressure medicines.
Snake venom can be used to treat high blood pressure conditions, as some studies have revealed that peptide found in the venom of the Brazilian pit viper can be used to lower blood pressure.
It can also be used as a painkiller. The enzyme known as phospholipases, found in snake venom, can be used to treat chronic pain conditions.
Some studies have also shown that some compounds containing enzymes and proteins in snake venom can be used to treat cancer. They target cancer cells and inhibit their growth.