YouTuber Elvish Yadav, singer Fazilpuriya in tight spot as ED attaches assets in money laundering case

In a fresh trouble for YouTuber Siddharth Yadav alias Elvish Yadav and singer Rahul Yadav alias Fazilpuriya, the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday attached their assets as part of its ongoing money laundering investigation.

The directorate of Enforcement (ED), Lucknow Zonal Office, has provisionally attached properties under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in the ‘Wildlife case’, said the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

In a statement, ED said that the attached properties are in form of agriculture land at Bijnor District of Uttar Pradesh and bank balances belonging to Rahul Yadav alias Fazilpuria, Elvish Yadav and M/s Sky Digital India Pvt. Ltd.

Rahul Yadav alias Rahul Fazilpuriya, a singer from Haryana who allegedly has links to Elvish Yadav, was also questioned by the ED in the said case.

The central agency had registered a case in May and pressed charges under the PMLA after taking cognisance of an FIR and charge sheet filed against Yadav and linked persons by the Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) district police in Uttar Pradesh.

“After completing the investigation, the police charge-sheeted Elvish Yadav and others. The second FIR alleges that Rahul alias Fazilpuria and Elvish Yadav illegally used snakes in music videos and vlogs and caused cruelty against wild life,” ED added in a statement.

Stating that further investigation is under progress, ED said that it has identified the Proceeds of Crime linked to the activity and has attached both movable and immovable properties.

Elvish Yadav was arrested on March 17 by the Noida police in connection with its probe into suspected use of snake venom as a recreational drug in parties that were allegedly hosted by him.

The controversial YouTuber, also the winner of reality show Bigg Boss OTT 2, was booked under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Wildlife Protection Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by the Noida police.

Yadav was among the six people named in the FIR lodged at Noida's Sector 49 police station on November 3 last year on a complaint from a representative of animal rights NGO People for Animals (PFA).