A network carrying out false rescues has been dismantled in Nepal
They were trying to cheat mountaineers through unnecessary medical evacuations. The authorities have confirmed 171 counterfeit rescues from 2022 to 2025.
Mount Everest, from Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal.
A mountain rescue network has been dismantled in Nepal, thanks to an investigation by the local police. Through fraud against international insurers,about $20 millionhas been diverted by criminals, hospitals and tourist agencies.
In connection with the network 32 criminals have already been identified, revealing that they were trying to cheat mountaineers through unnecessary medical evacuations.
The authorities have confirmed 171 counterfeit rescues from 2022 to 2025. The investigation remains open and an increase in the number of injured is not ruled out.
Passports were usedto make fraudulent bills , in some cases more than $4,500 per person. For example, one of the documented files belongs to a Spanish tourist identified as G.A.L., who was claimed $1,945 in hospital expenses and $6,200 in helicopter transportation.
The network falsified medical reports and manipulated the cost of rescues. . According to the Nepalese police, those involved used tactics such as convincing mountaineers to simulate a disease of height or to cause physical symptoms by supplying substances or providing excess water. These actions enabled evacuations to be activated and then billed as a real emergency.
The fraud was maximized in the billing phase, whereflights in clusters were charged individually to each insurance company, as if it were an exclusive service, so that a ransom at a real cost of $4,000 could be multiplied to $12,000. In addition, the hospitals involved paid commissions of up to 25% to the collaborating agencies and issued reports with medical digital signatures, without ever treating patients.
The authorities have confirmed 171 counterfeit rescues from 2022 to 2025. The investigation remains open and an increase in the number of people affected is not ruled out. This could affect tourism in the Asian area.
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