Rave party with snake venom: 5 arrested, YouTuber Elvish Yadav booked
Noida (PTI): The Noida Police has booked Bigg Boss winner Elvish Yadav and arrested five people for the alleged use of snake venom at rave parties, officials said on Friday.
Yadav, a popular YouTuber and social media influencer, refuted the charges and expressed his willingness to cooperate with the police in the investigation.
Nine snakes, including cobras, were also rescued from the possession of those arrested, who had landed at a banquet hall in Sector 51 on Thursday for a party, which was a trap laid by animal rights group People for Animals (PFA), officials said.
Police seized 20 millilitres of snake venom stored in a plastic bottle from the possession of the accused and it has been sent for testing to ascertain if it is psychotropic in nature to induce a party drug-like effect in the human body.
An FIR was lodged under the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and for criminal conspiracy following a complaint by Gaurav Gupta of PFA, run by BJP parliamentarian Maneka Gandhi, against six people, including Yadav, for partying at the banquet hall where snake venom was made available, police said.
Gupta claimed that Yadav, who won the second season of the OTT version of reality show Bigg Boss this year, along with his associates illegally organised rave parties and shot videos with snakes and snake venom in Noida and other parts of NCR.
According to a police spokesperson, "Five people were arrested from the banquet hall and nine snakes were rescued from their possession".
Those held have been identified as Rahul (32), Teetunath (45), Jaikaran (50), Narayan (50) and Ravinath (45), all residents of Moharband village in southeast Delhi's Badarpur, police said.
DCP Noida (as in-charge) Ram Badan Singh said, "In his complaint, Gaurav Gupta claimed he had contacted Elvish Yadav for a rave party and to arrange snakes. Gupta was then given the phone number of Rahul Yadav after which these people (accused), including snake charmers and Rahul Yadav, were called".
"A team of forest officers and police had gone to the spot and these five people were arrested while 20 ml snake venom was also seized," Singh, also the DCP (anti-narcotics cell), added.
Meanwhile, 26-year-old Elvish Yadav took to social media to refute the charges against him, dubbing them "baseless, fake and not even 1 per cent true".
"I am ready to fully cooperate with the UP police. I also request the UP police, administration and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that if my involvement is found, I will take full responsibility," Yadav said, adding he has nothing to do with the case.
Divisional Forest Officer Pramod Kumar Srivastava said five cobras, two sand boas, one python and one rat snake -- all falling in the category of endangered species -- were rescued during the action.
"The charges framed in the case under the Wildlife (Protection) Act are stringent which are non-bailable and can attract a jail term of seven years. The snake venom seized from the accused has been sent for a lab test to ascertain its quality," Srivastava told PTI, explaining the severity of the crime.
An official source said even in illegal acts like these, thugs often dupe party organisers and participants by providing them non-psychotropic substances in the name of snake venom.
The use of snake venom as a recreational drug is not a common practice in India and is considered extremely dangerous and potentially life-threatening.
The use and possession of drugs, including substances derived from snake venom or any other controlled substances, are governed by the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985.
However, the NDPS Act has not been invoked in this case as drugs were not found at the incident spot, according to an official.
A rave party is a vibrant, all-night EDM gathering with immersive music, lighting and a communal vibe. They're held in diverse locations, with farmhouses being a popular choice. In India, legal issues arise due to drug use, noise, safety, and public order violations, leading to government measures and bans on it.
FIR against Youtuber #ElvishYadav and his 5 associates. Rahul, Titunath, Jayakaran, Narayan, Ravinath are currently in custody.
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) November 3, 2023
According to the FIR, 20 ml of Snake venom, 9 poisonous snakes were found from them ( 5 cobra, 1 python, 1 two-headed snake, 1 Rat Snake). According… pic.twitter.com/3ZQKtkEFpn
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Need to be taught lesson: SC refuses to entertain bail plea of Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case accused
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has refused to entertain the bail plea of Mihir Shah, the son of a former Shiv Sena leader, in the 2024 Mumbai BMW hit-and-run case, saying "these boys need to be taught a lesson".
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and A G Masih took into account that the accused belonged to an affluent family and his father was associated with the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena.
"He parks his Mercedes in the shed, takes out his BMW and crashes it and goes absconding. Let him be inside for some time. These boys need to be taught a lesson," the bench observed on Friday while refusing to entertain the bail plea.
Senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing for Shah, said the high court allowed him to seek bail after the testimony of key witnesses was recorded in the case. However, sensing the mood of the court, she sought permission to withdraw the plea, which was allowed.
Shah (24) was arrested on July 9 last year, two days after he allegedly rammed his BMW car into a two-wheeler in Mumbai's Worli area, killing Kaveri Nakhwa (45) and leaving her husband, Pradeep Nakhwa, injured.
The accused allegedly sped off towards the Bandra-Worli Sea Link after the accident, even as the woman remained on the bonnet of the car and then got entangled in its wheels for a distance of more than 1.5 kilometres.
Shah's driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, who was also present in the car at the time of the accident, was arrested on the day of the alleged accident. Both are in judicial custody.
Shah has challenged the November 21 order of the Bombay High Court that denied him bail in the case after noting that he was heavily inebriated and failed to stop the car even after hitting a scooter and dragging the victim under his vehicle.
The high court had said in the order that the conduct of the accused at the time of the alleged offence and afterwards does not inspire confidence in the court to grant him bail. It had said that Shah had accidentally crashed into the scooter but sped away at high speed, dragging the victim underneath the car.
His further actions indicate a clear intent to escape the consequences and evade arrest, the high court had noted, adding that his exchanging seats with his driver, calling his father and leaving the scene of offence indicate the predilection to tamper with evidence and/or intimidate witnesses.
