Kathmandu. It has been revealed that billions of rupees of insurance have been embezzled by foreign companies by showing fake helicopter rescue in Nepal.
It has been revealed that foreign nationals have embezzled insurance amount in the name of fake rescue by preparing fake documents in the name of various helicopter companies based in Nepal. This has been revealed through the report prepared by the Central Investigation Bureau (CEB) of Nepal Police after a long investigation.
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Police (CIB) has arrested 6 high-profile operators of Nepal’s Travel and Mountain Rescue Agency in a major crackdown on tourism fraudsters. They are accused of running a massive “fake rescue” scam that defrauded international insurance companies of $19.65 million (about Rs 2.88 billion).
CIB Chief and Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Manoj Kumar KC said that the arrestees were made after the CIB obtained a court warrant based on a detailed investigation into the claim of exporting a fake helicopter from Nepal. The arrestees have been identified as Jayaram Rimal and Bibek Pandey of Mountain Rescue Service Pvt Ltd, Rabindra Adhikari and Bibek Raj Thapaliya of Nepal Charter Service Pvt Ltd and Mukti Pandey and Subhash KC of Everest Experience and Assistance. All of them worked as directors or senior managers in their respective companies.
According to the CIB, the accused were faking an expensive helicopter rescue as a medical emergency. For which false claims were later made to international travel insurance companies. AIG KC said the investigation has exposed a well-organized network involved in crimes against national interest.
According to the CIB data, the Mountain Rescue Service rescued 1,248 people. Of those, 171 were fake. There were more than $10.3 million in insurance claims.
Similarly, Nepal Chartered Service rescued 471 of them. There were 75 fake cases. The fake rescue had an insurance claim of $82 million. Everest Experience and Assistance conducted 601 rescues including 71 fake incidents. The insurance claim was $1.1 million.
The CIB had identified 317 fake rescues out of a total of 2,320 cases. The total insurance claims were more than $19.65 million.
The suspects are being probed on a number of charges, including organised crime, criminal extortion (cheating and extortion), money laundering and offences against national interest, the CIB said. Investigators have revealed that the scam involves collusion between trekking guides, helicopter operators and medical facilities. In many cases, it is alleged that pedestrians who were experiencing little discomfort at high altitude were forced to get out of the helicopter. In other cases, multiple patients were transported on a single flight but were billed for full cost by different insurance companies.
The action comes after years of pressure from international insurance underwriters. They threatened to stop providing travel insurance to Nepal if the fraudulent claims were not addressed.
