The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has officially filed a chargesheet against popular YouTuber Siddharth Yadav, known as Elvish Yadav, and his associate, singer Rahul Yadav (Fazilpuriya), along with two other individuals. They face serious charges of money laundering related to an alleged wildlife crime involving protected snakes and lizards.
This formal complaint was submitted to a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Gurugram, Haryana, on October 13. As of now, the court has not yet officially acknowledged or acted upon the chargesheet.
According to official sources, the chargesheet names 28-year-old Elvish Yadav, 35-year-old Fazilpuriya, their company Sky Digital India Pvt. Ltd., and its director, Gurkaran Singh Dhaliwal, as the primary accused.
Specifically, Elvish Yadav is accused of illicitly earning and possessing ₹84,000, which are considered “proceeds of crime.” These earnings reportedly came from a controversial video uploaded in 2023 that featured live protected snakes and an iguana, a type of protected lizard.
Fazilpuriya faces similar charges. Investigations revealed he created and owned the music video “32 BORE,” which allegedly used protected wildlife species, including snakes and an iguana, in violation of Section 51 of the Wild Life Protection Act.
The ED asserts that both Yadav and Fazilpuriya illegally featured protected snakes and exotic animals like iguanas in their commercial music videos and vlogs. The alleged motive behind this was to boost their online following and generate revenue. The agency further clarified that these videos were provided to Sky Digital India Pvt. Ltd. and subsequently uploaded to YouTube, specifically to monetize and generate income.
Both individuals have already undergone questioning by the federal agency at its Lucknow zonal office. The ED initiated its PMLA case in May, building on two initial FIRs and a chargesheet filed by the Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) police in Uttar Pradesh and the Gurugram Police. Elvish Yadav was previously arrested by Noida Police in connection with the case.
The controversial YouTuber, well-known as the winner of “Bigg Boss OTT 2,” was initially booked by the police under multiple sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the Wildlife Protection Act, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).