Nepalese police have uncovered a $20 million fraud scheme involving Sherpas, helicopter operators and hospitals. They reportedly conspired to fake an emergency evacuation of nearly 5,000 climbers by adding baking powder, raw chicken and even mouse droppings to their food.
Nepalese police investigators have charged 32 people and arrested 11 suspects as part of a massive investigation that has uncovered a shocking Everest fraud scheme.
According to Nepal's Central Bureau of Investigation, between 2022 and 2025, mountain rescue guides and operators secretly drugged or poisoned foreign climbers to trigger expensive air evacuations and collect insurance payouts totaling nearly $20 million.
A total of 4,782 climbers from around the world were defrauded, and police have uncovered more than 300 cases of alleged fake rescues. Investigators say the scam involved Sherpas (an indigenous Himalayan people known for their expertise as professional porters and guides for high-altitude expeditions), tour company owners, helicopter operators and even hospital administrators.
Investigators say the guides used a variety of methods to fake medical emergencies. They used large amounts of baking soda added to food to induce stomach upset that mimicked altitude sickness, and gave them medication with excessive amounts of water. Some unsuspecting tourists have fallen ill after eating baking soda, raw chicken or even mouse droppings added to their food. After tourists complained of nausea, dizziness, and body aches, guides advised them to disembark immediately and agree to expensive helicopter evacuations.
Operators inflated costs by charging each passenger as if they were on a separate flight, even when several people were evacuated together. Fake flight records and medical records were used to justify inflated insurance claims, and hospitals created false hospitalization and treatment records – in some cases for tourists who did not actually receive medical attention.
The first arrest in the operation was made on January 25, 2026, when police detained six rescue operators and managers who allegedly claimed insurance payments by faking the rescue of foreign tourists who fell ill while trekking.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CIB) said the crimes had damaged “Nepal’s national pride, prestige and dignity internationally.” This is not the first time such a scheme has been exposed: a 2018 Kathmandu Post investigation led the government to produce a 700-page report promising reforms. But the scam continued. Manoj Kumar, head of the country's Central Bureau of Investigation (CIB), blamed this on "weak enforcement."
"When crime is not addressed, it flourishes," he said. "As a result, insurance fraud also flourishes." Travel insurance companies have previously threatened to withdraw insurance coverage in Nepal if the fraud continues.
Reports from 2019 also detailed how some foreign tourists helped tour companies by feigning acute mountain sickness in exchange for discounts on expedition prices. Their insurance documents were checked in advance to ensure payments to the helicopter company and its "agent".
The scandal has led to increased scrutiny of tour operators and guides in connection with the start of the spring climbing season, which began on March 30.