Baking Soda, 'Poisoned' Everest Trekkers & $20Mn Insurance Fraud: Inside Nepal Guides' Rescue Scam

Last Updated:April 02, 2026, 12:10 IST

Nepal Police said trekking staff secretly added baking soda to tourists’ food or drinks at teahouses and base camps, making them believe they had altitude sickness

A major fraud scandal has rocked Nepal’s tourism industry, with police alleging that trekking guides, hospitals, and helicopter operators colluded in a multi-million-dollar insurance scam by deliberately making tourists sick.

Investigators say between 2022 and 2025, a coordinated network targeted foreign trekkers across Nepal’s most popular Himalayan routes, including Everest, Annapurna, Langtang, and Manaslu.

According to Nepal Police, trekking staff secretly added baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to tourists’ food or drinks at teahouses and base camps. This caused severe nausea, vomiting, dehydration, and abdominal pain.

The symptoms closely resembled acute altitude sickness, a potentially life-threatening condition common at high elevations. The victims often believed they were in genuine danger and were unable to distinguish the symptoms from real altitude-related illness.

How The Fraud Worked

Once trekkers fell ill, guides exaggerated the danger and pressured them into emergency evacuation, rushing them into costly helicopter rescues.

Hospitals and operators then submitted forged medical reports, inflated treatment bills, and filed fake flight documentation to insurers. In many cases, a single helicopter carrying multiple patients generated separate full-price insurance claims for each individual, often costing $3,000-$5,000 per person per flight.

According to investigators, some groups were deliberately targeted together to maximise payouts from a single trip.

Who Benefited From This?

The alleged racket involved multiple players, including trekking guides and agencies, helicopter operators, and private hospitals.

Hospitals such as Swacon International Hospital, Shreedhi International Hospital, and Era International Hospital were named in the probe.

The system was simple and ran on kickbacks—hospitals paid 20-25 per cent commission to trekking agencies and helicopter companies and guides reportedly received around 25 per cent of insurance payouts.

Authorities estimate the scheme generated at least $19.69 million in fraudulent insurance claims, with one operator alone allegedly claiming over $10 million.

How It Was Uncovered

The scam came to light after a citizen complaint in late 2025, which triggered a months-long investigation by Nepal’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).

By early 2026, police had arrested initial suspects, and on March 12, 32 individuals were formally charged in Kathmandu District Court. The charges include organised crime, fraud, and offences against the state.

Not The First Rescue Scam

According to several media reports, Nepal has faced scrutiny before over fake or unnecessary helicopter rescues, especially during the Everest climbing season. However, this case is far more serious because it involves actively harming tourists rather than just overcharging or staging rescues.

The scandal has emerged just as Nepal’s Everest season begins, raising concerns about tourist safety and trust in the trekking industry.

The case is now before the courts in Nepal, and further arrests are possible as the investigation expands.

Authorities now face mounting pressure to clean up the trekking industry, regulate emergency rescues, and restore confidence among international tourists.

News explainers Baking Soda, 'Poisoned' Everest Trekkers & $20Mn Insurance Fraud: Inside Nepal Guides' Rescue Scam

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