Kathmandu, April 3 – The mountaineering community in Nepal has expressed serious concerns over a $20 million insurance scam, even as police dismissed media reports on Friday alleging that some foreign tourists were deliberately given poisonous food to facilitate fraudulent rescue operations.
As the spring climbing season for Mount Everest opened this week, Nepal Police's Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said that ongoing investigations have not found any evidence to support allegations of food poisoning being used to facilitate fake rescue operations.
"We would like to state the fact that the investigation so far has not revealed any instance of toxic substances being adulterated in food," said the CIB, which conducted months-long investigations into fake mountain rescue operations involving helicopter operators, trekking agencies, and hospitals.
"Misleading and untrue news has been published in national and international media, as well as on social media platforms, based on unverified content," the Himalayan Times newspaper reported, citing a statement issued by the CIB.
The CIB has charged 32 people over the fake insurance scam. These individuals were released after posting bail, according to CIB spokesperson Shiva Kumar Shrestha. The CIB had filed a case in the Kathmandu District Court, which imposed fines on the 32 individuals.
However, the extent of the fraud is a concern for the country as the spring climbing season begins.
"We are conducting an investigation into the alleged fake rescue operation being conducted by some travel operators in the Everest region, and if found guilty, action will be taken," said Director General of Nepal's Tourism Department, Ramkrishna Lamichhane.
"Also, we are trying our best to ensure that such fake rescue operations do not happen in the days to come," Lamichhane said.
The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) strongly condemned the alleged practice, stating that the mountaineering community as a whole does not encourage such activity.
In a press statement issued on Friday, the association said that such allegations are "unimaginable" for expedition operators and stakeholders involved in Nepal's mountaineering sector. It emphasized that Nepal has long maintained a strong global reputation as a safe and reliable destination for climbers.
The association called on the government to take strict action if any unethical or inhumane practices are proven, while cautioning that unverified reports could harm the country's image at the start of the peak spring climbing season.
"We discourage such fake rescues in the mountains and urge the government to take strong action against those found guilty," said NMA president Phur Gelje Sherpa.
"No doubt, there may be a few bad persons who are doing these illegal things, but the mountaineering community as a whole doesn't encourage such activity," he said while demanding that the government adopt a proper policy to prevent such illegal activity.
Dendi Sherpa, a three-time Everest summitter, said, “Because of the bad conduct of a few people, real climbers like us have to suffer.”
“This will very much have a negative impact on our climbing business. The government should be strict in implementing rules and regulations to control such illegal acts,” he told