Nepalese authorities have arrested six officials in connection with a massive helicopter rescue scam that targeted climbers on Mount Everest and other peaks. The scam allegedly defrauded international insurance companies of millions of dollars. The six, all managers or senior staff at three Kathmandu-based rescue firms, were taken into custody on January 25 following a four-month investigation into hundreds of unnecessary evacuations. Investigators said the companies—Mountain Rescue, Everest Experience and Assistance, and Nepal Charter Service—carried out roughly 300 unnecessary helicopter evacuations of climbers on Everest and other peaks between 2022 and 2025. Foreign tourists were reportedly pushed to seek emergency rescues for minor ailments, while falsified passenger lists and medical reports, allegedly prepared in collusion with Kathmandu hospitals, allowed the firms to claim pay-outs for rescues that were either unnecessary or fabricated. In one case, authorities said a single helicopter flight rescuing four climbers was billed as four separate evacuations. Police are exploring charges ranging from fraud to harming Nepal’s international reputation, and investigations are ongoing into additional companies and hospitals.
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