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Story summary
- Nepal's police charged 32 individuals, including guides and hospital executives, in a $20 million Mount Everest insurance fraud.
- Investigators allege climbers were drugged with baking soda in food to imitate altitude sickness, triggering evacuations.
- Operators forged medical documents to claim payouts, with over 300 fake rescues affecting nearly 4,800 climbers from 2022 to 2025.
- The scandal has damaged Nepal's international reputation and follows earlier investigations into regional fraud.
