Authorities in Nepal say they have discovered an alleged $20 million insurance policy Lies which includes fake rescues in Mount Everest and fraudulent hospital admissions to claim insurance money.
Ten people have been arrested in connection with the alleged scheme, Nepal’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CIB) said in a series news alerts last month, including individuals from a trekking company, helicopter operators, Kathmandu-based hospital workers and rescue workers.
The companies and individuals are accused of fabricating rescue missions on Mount Everest by submitting fraudulent documents to Nepalese police and insurance companies, including passenger manifests, medical documents and other forms to claim insurance funds, the CIB said.
“Such actions have tarnished the prestige of the nation,” the Bureau declared, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
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NBC News reported that 32 guides have been charged and investigators have identified nearly 4,800 international climbers who were treated at the implicated hospitals between 2022 and 2025.
“Foreign tourists were systematically defrauded,” the bureau said.
A spokesman told the US newspaper that the scheme specifically targeted foreigners who experienced health problems while trekking in the Himalayan region of Nepal. According to an investigation by Kathmandu Post Officethe entities involved would organize rescue efforts and submit insurance claims that bore little resemblance to the patient’s actual health emergency.
In this photo taken on Oct. 4, 2025 and released by Lingsuiye, villagers with oxen and their horses climb the mountain during rescue efforts to reach hundreds of climbers trapped by heavy snow at tourist campsites on a slope of Mount Everest in Tibet.
Lingsuiye via AP
The paper’s investigation said the alleged scam was complex and reportedly relied on the cooperation of multiple entities, including guides it said would offer weary travelers the chance to be airlifted out of mountain ranges if they feigned illness.
Another alleged method was to scare travelers experiencing symptoms of altitude sickness into believing they had serious complications and needed to evacuate, the source revealed. In some cases, the investigation claims that techniques such as drinking too much water were used to worsen symptoms of altitude sickness.
Global News has not independently verified the findings.
The CIB said some of the claims made in the investigation were false, including that the guides had allegedly poisoned the climbers.
“The investigation so far has not revealed the fact that the poisonous substances were adulterated,” he said.
Standing at 29,029 feet above sea level, trying to reach the summit of Everest presents many dangers. About 1,000 people attempt to reach the summit each year; only 7,583 have successfully completed the journey, according to NBC News.
Rescues and medical emergencies are common on Mount Everest. In October last year, more than 350 climbers were rescued after a freak storm trapped them in a campsite in Tibet.
The climbers’ route was blocked by heavy snowfall, trapping them at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet), according to a report by Chinese digital news site Jimu News.
Hundreds of locals were deployed to clear a path so the stranded climbers could descend, the Jimu report said.
The storm struck during China’s Golden Week holiday, which marks the start of a busy tourist season on Everest, usually characterized by clear skies and comfortable temperatures at this time of year.
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