Kathmandu. A case has been registered in the Kathmandu District Court against 32 people involved in defrauding the insurance amount of about Rs 130 crore by making fake documents in the name of ‘rescue’ and treatment of foreign tourists in Nepal.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police had submitted the investigation report related to this incident to the Public Prosecutor’s Office on March 15. After receiving the report, a case has been registered in this matter.
Government lawyer Ramhari Kafle said that a case has been registered in this matter this morning itself. He said that studies were still being done in this.
So far 10 people have been arrested in this case. The rest are absconding. These people are accused of defrauding 94 crore 84 lakh 97 thousand 391 Nepali rupees, 29 lakh 98 thousand 823 US dollars and 14 thousand 500 euros.
This matter is said to be of 2022. Based on the foreign exchange rate in 2022, the total claim amount has been estimated to be approximately Rs 130 crore 42 lakh 43 thousand 505.
According to the CIB, the accused have been recommended to be prosecuted under four combined charges including crime against national interest, criminal gain, documentary crime and organized crime.
According to the government lawyer, 16 tracking companies, 5 rescue companies, 3 hospitals, 4 helicopter companies, 3 local agents and an independent guide have been made accused in this case.
CIB started investigation of this case from 25 January 2026. During this period, owners and managers of several companies including Mountain Rescue Service, Nepal Charter Service and Everest Experience and Assistance and other persons have been arrested.
Apart from this, a hospital operator, an aerial expert, a trekking company operator and a guide have also been arrested. It has been told that the arrested accused had made insurance claims of about Rs 285 crore 62 lakh 50 thousand 165 on the basis of fake documents since 2022.
The Mountain Rescue Service rescued 1,248 foreign tourists during this period, out of which 171 cases were found to be fake. On this basis, the company made a fake insurance claim of approximately Rs 149 crore 49 lakh 90 thousand 20, out of which approximately Rs 130 crore has been paid.
Similarly, Nepal Charter rescued 471 tourists, out of which 75 cases were found suspicious and for this a claim of about Rs 119 crore 39 lakh 41 thousand 890 was made.
Everest Experience rescued 601 tourists, out of which 71 cases were found suspicious and an insurance claim of approximately Rs 16 crore 73 lakh 18 thousand 255 was made.
On October 19, 2025, the government had constituted a high-level study and suggestion committee under the chairmanship of the then Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Anil Sinha. CIB proceeded with the investigation of this case on the basis of the recommendations of the same committee.
Apart from this, a complaint was also lodged by the victims and some Gen-G engineers, on the basis of which the investigation was taken forward.
In this case, Dr. Girvanraj Timilsina, Director of Shriddhi International Hospital, Sandeep Tiwari, Director of Royal Holidays Adventure and Travel Company, Jairam Rimal and Manager Vivek Pandey, Director of Mountain Rescue Service Private Limited, Ravindra Adhikari, Director of Nepal Chartered Service and Operation Manager Vivek Raj Thapliya have been arrested.
Similarly, Everest Experience and Associates director Mukti Pandey and manager Subhash KC, Panorama Himalaya Trekking and Expedition director Pasang Sherpa and air management expert Rajendra Bahadur Singh are also in custody.
After rescuing tourists from the mountaineering and trekking area, a case has come to light that the operators of Swakan Hospital forcibly admitted them to the hospital and sent them for shopping during the day.
A police officer involved in the investigation said that a tourist rescued by helicopter from the Everest region was sent for shopping during the day and was admitted to the hospital only in the evening.
According to police sources, the tourist was admitted to Swakan Hospital in mutual connivance under the threat of fine for not getting admitted to the prescribed hospital and his passport was also confiscated.
After admitting the patient after ‘fake rescue’, the hospital operators used to contact the trekking agency and Sherpa and inform them about the situation. A foreign national has lodged a complaint with CIB through e-mail that he was forcibly admitted to Swakan Hospital.
The investigation also found that the hospital operators did not return the tourist’s passport until they received guarantee of payment from the insurance company. Additionally, tourists were made to sign that they were ‘not forced to seek rescue’ and were ‘satisfied with the hospital services’.
The hospitals involved in the ‘fake rescue’ episode were admitting patients in excess of protocol merely for the purpose of making insurance claims. The recruited tourists used to stay in hotels and also go for sightseeing. According to a CIB official, it was later revealed that tourists were called and given discharge papers.
Investigation has also revealed that insurance claims were made by hospitals by preparing fake health reports. By making higher bills, they used to collect the amount in the name of health insurance and divide it among themselves with the operators of rescue companies and trekking companies.
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