A new investigation claims that some Mount Everest guides may be secretly drugging tourists’ food to provoke expensive helicopter evacuations, allegedly as part of a $20 million insurance fraud scheme.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A new investigation claims that some Mount Everest guides may be secretly drugging tourists’ food to provoke expensive helicopter evacuations, allegedly as part of a $20 million insurance fraud scheme.Authorities in Nepal have charged 32 individuals in connection with an alleged scheme involving fraudulent helicopter rescues of Mount Everest trekkers, a case investigators say generated millions in improper insurance payouts.
According to a New York Post report, the investigation centers on claims that trekking guides intentionally caused illness among tourists to justify costly emergency evacuations. Officials allege that substances such as baking soda were added to food, producing symptoms resembling altitude sickness or severe gastrointestinal distress.
Once climbers became ill, they were reportedly urged to agree to helicopter rescues. Investigators say falsified documentation, including medical reports and flight records, was then used to bill international insurance providers for emergency services that were either unnecessary or fabricated.
Details reported by the Kathmandu Post indicate the scheme involved coordination between trekking agencies, helicopter operators, and medical facilities. Authorities allege that proceeds from the claims were distributed among those involved, including company owners and hospital personnel.
The case began earlier this year with the arrest of six executives tied to mountain rescue operations. Police estimate the total value of fraudulent claims at approximately $19.69 million.
One company is accused of falsifying 171 rescue operations out of 1,248 reported incidents, resulting in more than $10 million in claims. A second company allegedly fabricated 75 rescues, generating roughly $8 million, while a third is accused of submitting 71 false claims totaling over $1 million.
Prosecutors are seeking fines totaling $11.3 million as the case proceeds through the courts. A court spokesperson said the matter is being treated as a high-priority corruption case.
“This scam continued due to lax punitive action,” said Manoj Kumar KC, head of the Nepalese police’s organized crime unit. “When there is no action against crime, it flourishes. The insurance scam too flourished as a result.”
The allegations add to ongoing scrutiny of Nepal’s tourism sector, a major component of the country’s economy that supports more than one million jobs directly and indirectly.
In prior years, several international insurers have withdrawn coverage for trekking expeditions in Nepal, citing repeated instances of fraud. In 2018, the Nepalese government introduced measures intended to increase oversight, including requiring tour operators to take full responsibility for rescue coordination and submit detailed documentation for evacuations and medical treatment.
Despite those measures, authorities now say enforcement gaps allowed fraudulent practices to persist.
The investigation remains ongoing as prosecutors pursue charges against those accused of participating in the alleged scheme.
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