CIB detains Pasang Sherpa of Panorama Himalaya Trekking & Expedition in helicopter scam case
KATHMANDU– Nepal Police have taken another suspect into custody as part of a widening investigation into an alleged helicopter rescue fraud scheme that targeted foreign trekkers in the Everest region.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) confirmed that Pasang Sherpa, operator of Panorama Himalaya Trekking & Expedition Pvt. Ltd., was arrested on Falgun 27. Sherpa, 50, is a resident of Solu Dudhkunda Municipality–1 in Solukhumbu district. Investigators say he is believed to be linked to a network accused of arranging unnecessary helicopter evacuations and filing inflated insurance claims.
The case originated after two foreign nationals submitted an online complaint stating that, during their 2025 Everest Base Camp trek, they were flown to Kathmandu without their consent, admitted to a hospital, and later used in an insurance claim they never approved.
Sherpa is now the tenth individual detained in connection with the alleged scam. Those arrested so far include people associated with trekking agencies, helicopter operators, rescue service providers, hospitals, and even a Nepal-based representative of a foreign insurance company.
According to police, the scheme involved staging or exaggerating emergency evacuations in high-altitude trekking areas to secure reimbursements from international insurance firms.
The investigation first came to light in January, when authorities arrested six individuals linked to three companies accused of fabricating helicopter rescues for profit. Police later reported that these companies had collectively defrauded insurers of more than $19.65 million.
The probe expanded further in February with the arrest of a Kathmandu-based doctor, followed by the detention of Rajendra Bahadur Singh, managing director of Mountain Helicopters Pvt. Ltd., and Sandip Tiwari of Royal Holidays Adventure and Travel Company Pvt. Ltd. Singh is a well‑known figure in Nepal’s aviation sector and previously served on a government aviation reform committee.
CIB officials say the investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are expected as they continue to uncover what they describe as a coordinated operation involving multiple sectors of Nepal’s tourism and rescue industry.