The Nepalese government is cracking down on an insurance fraud scheme in the tourism industry, prosecuting 32 individuals including tour company owners, helicopter operators, and hospitals. Investigations revealed they "poisoned" tourists to feign illness, staging unnecessary helicopter rescues to claim insurance payouts totaling over 640 million baht.
Nepalese authorities have declared a zero-tolerance stance on corruption after completing an investigation into a long-standing insurance fraud ring involving Himalayan trekking rescues, which has eroded global tourist trust.
Recently, the District Attorney's Office filed charges at Kathmandu District Court against 32 suspects, including prominent trekking tour owners, charter helicopter executives, and private hospital owners. Authorities have arrested nine suspects so far, while 23 remain fugitives.
The Central Investigation Bureau found that these criminals operated as a network to "share profits" from insurance claims. Their shocking tactics included poisoning tourists by secretly mixing "baking soda" into food, causing severe illness or diarrhea to justify helicopter rescue calls.
Tourists with minor symptoms were pressured to agree to air evacuation, with forged medical documents used to claim money from foreign insurers. Additionally, multiple insurance claims were filed for a single rescue, and false reports of rescue flights that never occurred were submitted.
Investigations estimate the fraud has stolen at least 19.69 million U.S. dollars (approximately 641 million baht). Mountain Rescue Service alone was found responsible for 171 "suspicious" rescue flights out of 1,248 total, collecting over 10 million dollars.
The fallout has been severe, with some international insurance companies suspending travel insurance sales for tourists visiting Nepal, directly impacting the country's revenue reliant on hundreds of thousands of climbers and trekkers annually.
Chhaya Narayan Acharya, spokesperson for Nepal's Ministry of Tourism, confirmed that the government will rigorously audit accounts and enforce licensing only for transparent agencies. The court has prioritized this case, setting combined fines for suspects at up to 1.51 billion Nepalese rupees.
However, the Nepal Mountaineering Association and police officials stated no evidence has linked Everest summit guides to the fraud, aiming to reassure professional climbers preparing for the upcoming season.