Doctor Arrested as Police Widen Probe into Fake Helicopter Rescue Insurance Scam

Police have arrested another suspect in the ongoing investigation into a large-scale insurance fraud involving fake helicopter rescues of foreign tourists, a racket that investigators say siphoned nearly $19.7 million through forged documents and fabricated medical claims.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police on Sunday detained a doctor affiliated with a private hospital in Kathmandu for his alleged role in preparing fake medical documents to support fraudulent insurance claims linked to trekking and expedition rescues.

According to the police, the suspect—Dr Girwan Raj Timilsina of Lazimpat-based Shreedhi Hospital—was involved in issuing forged rescue-related medical records in collusion with three companies already under investigation: Mountain Rescue Service Pvt Ltd, Everest Experience and Assistance Pvt Ltd, and Nepal Charter Services Pvt Ltd.

CIB spokesperson and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shiva Kumar Shrestha told the state-run news agency RSS that Dr Timilsina was arrested for assisting in the preparation of fake rescue documents to facilitate insurance payouts. “Further investigation is under way into the fake documents and related offences,” RSS quoted SSP Shrestha as saying.

The arrest comes in the wake of police detaining six individuals linked to the same case in late January following a two-and-a-half-month investigation. Those arrested earlier are affiliated with the three rescue and charter companies accused of falsely presenting chartered helicopter flights as emergency rescues, filing multiple insurance claims for single evacuations, and submitting fake or inflated hospital bills.

Read: Police Bust Long-Running Fake Helicopter Rescue Scam

Police data show that the three companies together claimed insurance payouts worth approximately $19.69 million (Rs 2.90 billion). Mountain Rescue Service Pvt Ltd alone allegedly fabricated rescue documents for 171 people and claimed over $10 million, while Nepal Charter Services Pvt Ltd and Everest Experience and Assistance Pvt Ltd are accused of claiming around $8.2 million and $1.15 million respectively through similar practices.

Investigators say the case highlights a long-running problem in Nepal’s tourism rescue system. A government probe in 2018 had already identified at least 15 companies—including helicopter operators, trekking agencies and hospitals—suspected of involvement in similar fraudulent practices, but no action was taken at the time.

Police said investigations are continuing into possible offences including organised crime and money laundering, and further arrests have not been ruled out.