Mount Everest climbers allegedly 'poisoned' by guides in $19.69m insurance scam

In a shocking development on the world's highest peak, Mount Everest guides allegedly laced the food of climbers to make them sick and trigger fake rescues. According to a report by Kathmandu Post, authorities have charged 32 individuals in the case alleging at least $19.69 million dollars of insurance fraud. While nine have been arrested, the rest are said to be on the run. 

During a medical emergency involving the climbers, a helicopter is called to take the tourists to a hospital, and they eventually file an insurance claim. The scammers allegedly exploited this system.

According to a CIB investigation reported by the Kathmandu Post, the scam was carried out in two ways.

In one way, the guides knowingly scared the travellers that they are at risk of dying, while in reality, what they would feel were symptoms of altitude sickness that could be treated with hydration or a gradual descent. In some cases, the guides would allegedly lace the food of the tourists with Diamox (Acetazolamide) tablets, a medicine to prevent altitude sickness, along with too much water to trigger symptoms that would justify them calling a rescue helicopter for a medical emergency.

The other method involved willing climbers who didn't want to walk back. The travellers who were unwilling to take a demanding descent after the Everest Base Camp trek were given the option by the guides to pretend to be sick. The guides would then call for a helicopter and handle the rest.

Once the 'rescue' was called, a single helicopter came and carried multiple passengers. However, full-price invoices were submitted to the insurance carriers of each individual. For this, the racket allegedly created fake light manifests and load sheets, the outlet reported.

The next part continued at the hospitals where the "patients" were taken. Medical officers allegedly fabricated discharge summaries and used the digital signatures of senior doctors who were not involved in the cases, and sometimes remained completely unaware that their signatures were being misused.

Reportedly, the CIB investigation found that some of the "patients" who were supposed to receive treatment for their "sickness" were found consuming beer in the hospital cafeteria.

How many people were charged?

CIB charged 32 individuals with offences against the state and organised crime, the outlet reported. Among them, nine were arrested, and the remaining are said to be absconding. Those named in the alleged scam include operators and staff from three helicopter companies, as well as physicians and administrators from different hospitals.

According to the authorities, the groups involved in the alleged scam obtained at least $19.69 million in insurance payouts.

What triggered the investigation?

In 2018, following a report about scams by helicopter companies and hospitals, a government committee recommended that all helicopter companies, hospitals, tour operators and insurance firms were required to submit the details of rescue flights and also medical treatment to the Department of Tourism, the Tourist Search & Rescue Committee, and the Tourist Police. However, that didn't happen, reported the outlet.

The recent investigation began when a citizen group, Deshbhakta Gen Z, filed a complaint on 26 September 2025.

"The scam continued due to lax punitive action," Manoj Kumar KC, chief of the CIB, told the New York Post. "When there is no action against crime, it flourishes. The insurance scam too flourished as a result."