Overview
- Nepal’s Central Investigation Bureau filed organized-crime and fraud cases that name 32 suspects from trekking firms, helicopter operators, and private hospitals.
- Police say 10 people are in custody and several accused remain on the run as investigators seek more records and arrests.
- Guides allegedly induced or faked illness by spiking food with baking powder or bicarbonate, pushing excess water, or misusing altitude drugs to justify air evacuations.
- Hospitals and pilots are accused of falsifying flight manifests and medical reports and billing insurers separately for passengers who shared a single helicopter.
- Investigators reviewed 4,782 foreign patient records, confirmed 171 sham rescues, and estimate roughly $19–20 million in claims, with victims spanning several countries including Spain.