Everest guides accused of poisoning foreign climbers to force fake rescues in $20m scam

Mount Everest guides have been accused of secretly drugging foreign climbers as part of a $20m (£15m) insurance fraud scheme to launch expensive aerial evacuations, an investigation by Nepalese police has revealed.

The police spokesperson said that the owner of Nepal’s mountain rescue company was arrested by the police during the operation independent So far, a total of 32 people have been prosecuted and 11 have been arrested.

The scale of the scam appears to be wide-ranging, affecting 4,782 international climbers between 2022 and 2025. Police say more than 300 cases of alleged fake rescues have been uncovered, costing climbers and insurers nearly $20 million.

The scandal has led to renewed scrutiny of tour operators and guides as this year’s spring climbing season begins on March 30. Investigators say the scam involved multiple actors in the trekking ecosystem, including Sherpas, owners of trekking companies, helicopter operators and hospital officials.

According to the police, six owners and managers of the rescue company were arrested for the first time on January 25 on the charge of falsely claiming insurance money for the rescue of foreign tourists who fell ill during trekking.

These salvage companies managed to extract nearly $20 million from international insurance companies for unnecessary or in some cases completely bogus salvage.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CIB) of the Nepal Police has said that the crime has “damaged Nepal’s national pride, reputation and dignity at the international level”.

Investigators say the guides used several methods to force the helicopter to evacuate, including faking a medical emergency and dousing food with large amounts of baking powder to provoke gastric problems commonly associated with altitude sickness. Others were given drugs with excessive amounts of water to trigger symptoms.

After hikers reported nausea, dizziness or body aches, they were advised to dismount and agree to an expensive emergency helicopter evacuation. Officials said the operators then used fake medical and flight documents to claim costs from international travel insurers.

Once the “rescue” began, even when many people were flying together, operators raised costs as if each passenger was flown in a separate helicopter. Fake flight records and falsified medical documents were then used to support exaggerated insurance claims, while hospitals created false admissions and treatment reports – in some cases for tourists who had not actually received care.

This is not the first time that a fake rescue network has been exposed Kathmandu Post In 2018, the inquiry prompted a 700-page report by the government, with promises of reform.

However, scams seem to persist. CIB chief Manoj Kumar KC said Post that this is due to “delayed punitive action”.

“When there is no action against crime, it thrives. Insurance scams thrive as a result.”

Travel insurance companies had earlier threatened to withdraw their Nepal coverage if the scam continued.

Reports in 2019 also detail that some foreign visitors will collude with trekking firms and feign acute mountain sickness requiring helicopter rescue in exchange for cut-price expeditions. The helicopter firm and its “agent” checked their insurance documents before being accepted on the trip to ensure they would be paid.

Meanwhile, some unidentified hikers reportedly became temporarily unwell after eating baking soda, undercooked chicken or rat droppings mixed into their food.

Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent independentSaid: “Anyone who has traveled to Nepal, met fantastic people and enjoyed some of the best trekking in the world, will be shocked to learn about this scam – which we first exposed in 2019.

“Most people and organizations involved in Nepal tourism are honest and focused on providing the best possible experience. It is important to seek reliable recommendations before choosing a company for your trip.”

independent The Nepal Tourism Board has been contacted for comment.

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