Elvish Yadav, Singer Fazilpuria Face Probe Agency Heat Over Snake Videos

YouTuber Elvish Yadav and Haryanvi singer Rahul Yadav alias Rahul Fazilpuria have been charged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the use of protected wildlife in their videos.

The probe stems from an FIR filed by the Haryana Police in March last year. The case accused the two of violating the Wildlife Protection Act by using snakes and an iguana during a music video shoot.

According to the probe agency, protected species were featured in Fazilpuria's music video "32 Bore" and Elvish Yadav's vlog "Fazilpuria Bhai Ke Shoot Pe Russian Se Mulakat Ho Hi Gayi".

How The Money Flowed

The probe agency found that the "32 Bore" video earned around $1,477 (Rs 1.24 lakh) in ad revenue on YouTube. The amount was paid by Google into the account of Sky Digital India Pvt. Ltd., the company that manages Fazilpuria's songs and online content.

Sky Digital's director admitted that the company had a 2021 contract with Fazilpuria and had paid him Rs 50 lakh in advance for his music projects. Investigators say part of this money was used to make the "32 Bore" video, making the earnings proceeds of crime under the PMLA.

Assets Attached

To recover the value of the illegal earnings, the ED has attached assets worth about Rs 52 lakh - including Fazilpuria's agricultural land, a Rs 1.24 lakh fixed deposit of Sky Digital, and Rs 84,000 held by Elvish Yadav in a fixed deposit.

The agency noted that under Section 2(1)(u) of the PMLA, if proceeds of crime are held outside India, authorities can seize property of equivalent value in India or abroad.

The ED concluded that Elvish Yadav, Fazilpuria, and Sky Digital India Pvt. Ltd. were all involved in creating and earning money from illegal content featuring protected wildlife species.