Elvish Yadav rave party case: Forensic report confirms snake venom

Noida: The forensic reports of samples collected from a suspected rave party linked to prominent YouTuber have been confirmed as venom of snake species, officials of the Noida Police said on Friday.

The samples were sent to a forensic laboratory in Jaipur, Rajasthan shortly after the November 3, 2023 incident and their results were received by the police here a few days ago, an officer privy to the probe said.

"The results of the forensic reports of the sample have confirmed that the substances found from the party spot were indeed venom of cobra and krait species of snakes as was suspected initially in the case," the officer told PTI.

Six people, including YouTuber Elvish Yadav, were booked under provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and IPC Section 120A (criminal conspiracy) for allegedly providing snake venom for the suspected rave party at a banquet hall in Noida's Sector 51 on November 3 last year.

While five of those named in the FIR were arrested, Yadav was questioned in the matter but not arrested. According to police, Yadav, who was not present at the party, is being investigated on charges of providing venom for the event.

After his name cropped up in the case, the 26-year-old YouTuber took to social media to refute the charges against him, dubbing them 'baseless, fake and not even 1 per cent true'.

In its probe, the veterinary department here found that venom glands were missing in all nine snakes, including five cobras, that were rescued on November 3 from the possession of the accused persons, Dr Nikhil Varshney, who headed the probe committee, had told PTI.

"Also, teeth were missing in eight of the nine snakes that were rescued," according to Varshney.

BJP leader and PFA chairperson Maneka Gandhi had also slammed Yadav in the wake of the case and called for his arrest.

"He (Elvish Yadav) has escaped for now but his arrest should definitely take place," Gandhi had told reporters.