Overview
- Police say a criminal network spanning trekking firms, helicopter operators and hospitals staged or inflated rescues to file fake insurance claims, with 32 people charged and a court now recording statements.
- Investigators allege guides made trekkers appear ill by lacing food with baking soda, giving Diamox with excessive water and, in some cases, using laxatives, then used forged flight and hospital records to justify evacuations.
- The probe attributes more than 300 suspicious rescues between 2022 and 2025 and about $19.7–$20 million in claims tied to 4,782 foreign climbers, according to Nepal’s Central Investigation Bureau.
- Police filings cite company- and hospital-level tallies, including Era International Hospital with more than $15.87 million, Shreedhi International Hospital with about $1.22 million, and operators such as Mountain Rescue Service, Nepal Charter Service and Everest Experience and Assistance.
- Authorities report nine suspects in custody and many at large, and operators say cancellations are rising as insurers reassess coverage and some climbers worry about access to helicopters for real emergencies.