In Nepal, guides and rescue company operators are suspected of a scheme in which foreign climbers were deliberately made to feel unwell to force them into expensive helicopter evacuations. This is reported by The Independent, citing a Nepalese police investigation, writes UNN.
Details
According to the investigation, from 2022 to 2025, the scheme could have affected 4,782 foreign climbers, and law enforcement officers uncovered more than 300 cases of alleged fake evacuations. The total losses for tourists and insurance companies are estimated at almost $20 million. 32 people have already been charged in the case, and another 11 have been detained.
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Investigators found that tourists may have been given substances in their food that caused symptoms similar to altitude sickness. After this, they were recommended an "urgent" helicopter evacuation, and the costs were covered by insurance payments based on forged medical documents and fake flight records.
Several links in the industry could have been involved in the scheme
These crimes have damaged Nepal's national pride, prestige, and dignity internationally.
Investigators believe that not only guides and Sherpas, but also trekking company owners, helicopter operators, and hospital representatives could have been involved in the scheme.
When a crime is not reacted to, it thrives. That is why the insurance fraud continued to work.
Against the backdrop of the scandal, Nepal has already tightened checks on tour operators before the start of the spring climbing season.