The New York Post reports that a major fraud case has surfaced in Nepal's mountaineering tourism sector. Investigations have uncovered that guides on Mount Everest allegedly 'spiked' food, causing tourists to fall ill and prompting them to take expensive helicopter evacuations to claim insurance compensation, involving as much as around $20 million (80.64 million MYR).
Baking Soda Added to Food to Cause Tourist Discomfort
The Nepalese police stated that the case involves the heads of climbing companies, helicopter operators, and medical institution executives. A total of 32 people have been charged with organized crime and fraud. Authorities allege that the guides added baking soda to the food, causing severe gastrointestinal discomfort, with symptoms similar to altitude sickness or food poisoning.
After tourists fell ill, those involved would pressure them into accepting urgent helicopter evacuation and use forged medical and flight documents to file insurance claims with international travel insurance companies. The proceeds would then be split among the guides, helicopter companies, travel agencies, and related hospitals.
The investigation began in January this year, during which six senior executives from three mountain rescue companies were arrested. Police said the syndicate allegedly defrauded at least $19.69 million (79.39 million MYR) in insurance payouts. One company was accused of filing 171 false claims out of 1,248 rescue cases, involving over $10 million (40.32 million MYR); another company fabricated 75 incidents, swindling about $8 million (32.25 million MYR); the third company was also said to have submitted 71 fake applications, involving over $1 million (4.03 million MYR).
Prosecutors are currently seeking fines totaling about $11.3 million (45.56 million MYR). A court spokesperson stated that the case is regarded as a high-profile corruption case and will be prioritized for trial.
In recent years, Nepal's tourism industry has repeatedly been plagued by similar scandals. Due to the worsening fraud situation, some international insurance companies have stopped providing coverage to local mountaineering tourists. Police pointed out that weak enforcement has allowed these scams to thrive, and the problem has yet to be eradicated.