Nepalese police have charged 32 guides in connection with a $20 million insurance fraud scheme that targeted 4,782 international climbers between 2022 and 2025. The scam was initially uncovered in 2018, but has since been reopened by the police. The guides allegedly put baking powder into their food to simulate altitude sickness, leading to the creation of an emergency for tourists from the UK or Australia, making it difficult for insurance companies to verify the incidents in the Kathmandu area. Helicopter companies, local hospitals, and other organizations were also involved in the scam.