Nepal Police have charged 32 people — including trekking agency owners, helicopter operators, sherpas and hospital staff — over a long-running insurance fraud scheme tied to rescues on Mount Everest trekking routes. Investigators say the plot, active from 2022 to 2025, deliberately created or encouraged illnesses among foreign trekkers to trigger costly helicopter evacuations billed to international insurers.
According to police and local reporting, some tourists were persuaded to fake symptoms while others were reportedly made genuinely ill after substances such as baking soda were added to their food. The resulting gastrointestinal problems mimicked altitude sickness and prompted emergency air rescues that appeared medically necessary.
“This was a highly organised scheme,” said a senior police official. Authorities allege collusion among guides, sherpas, helicopter operators and medical personnel: once a rescue was mounted, operators produced fabricated medical and flight documents, exaggerated the severity of cases, or billed a single flight as multiple separate evacuations using fake passenger manifests and medical reports. Police estimate more than 300 fraudulent helicopter rescues were carried out, generating nearly $20 million in bogus insurance claims.
Investigators say a single physical flight that cost a few thousand dollars was sometimes billed multiple times to inflate payouts. Initial defendants have appeared before the Kathmandu District Court, while others remain at large. Prosecutors are seeking substantial penalties under Nepal’s organised crime and fraud laws, including fines and lengthy prison terms.
The scandal has damaged Nepal’s tourism reputation and prompted some international insurers to withdraw or limit cover for trekkers after earlier fraud concerns. The scheme was first reported in 2018 and a government inquiry followed, but investigators say lax enforcement allowed the practice to persist and expand in subsequent years. “When there is no action against crime, it flourishes,” said Manoj Kumar KC, chief of the Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau.
Authorities are pushing for tighter oversight and greater transparency in adventure tourism. New rules now require all rescue operations to be formally reported to the authorities to prevent abuse and create a clear paper trail. Officials are urging prospective climbers and trekkers to verify medical and evacuation procedures independently as the 2026 Everest climbing season begins.
