Kathmandu: Nepal Police have busted a ring that was risking the lives of Everest climbers and embezzling crores of rupees from insurance companies.
It is said that the Sherpa company that was organizing the trek was poisoning the food of the trekkers who were coming to trek Mount Everest, making them sick, and stealing the insurance money.
Nepal Police has registered a case against 32 people, including the trekking company, helicopter and hospital staff, in this regard and is investigating.
How did the fraud take place? Sherpas (guides) used to accompany the trekkers to provide assistance. During this time, they would mix King Soda in their food. People would experience stomach problems after eating this. Sherpas would feign altitude sickness and evacuate them by helicopter.
Those rescued from the foothills of the mountain were admitted to designated hospitals and given unnecessary treatment. The trekking company would then create a fake file. Using this, they would extort huge sums of insurance from international insurance companies. This money would be shared between the Sherpas, truck operators, helicopter operators and the hospital.
How the fraud was exposed: The fraud network was exposed when six executives of mountain rescue companies were arrested last January. According to a Kathmandu Post report, about Rs 186 crore was embezzled on this route. Out of 1,248 rescues carried out by one rescue company, 171 cases were fake, earning Rs 93 crore from it.
Although trekking is a livelihood for many Nepalis, such incidents are eroding the confidence of trekkers. In addition, some international insurance companies have stopped providing insurance. In 2018, the Nepalese government transferred responsibility for trekkers to trekking operators.