Kathmandu: Nepal Police have arrested a former senior aviation executive in connection with an alleged fake mountain rescue insurance scam targeting foreign trekkers.
Rajendra Bahadur Singh, managing director of Mountain Helicopter and former vice president of the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal, was detained by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB). Singh had previously served as an operator of Simrik Airlines and Sita Air.
In a public statement, the CIB confirmed the arrest of 56-year-old Singh from Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward No. 31 on Wednesday, along with 28-year-old Sandip Tiwari, a representative of Royal Holidays Adventure and Travel Company based in Thamel, who was arrested a day earlier from Dhading district.
According to CIB spokesperson Shiv Kumar Shrestha, nine individuals have so far been arrested in connection with the case. Those detained include representatives of trekking and rescue companies, hospital officials, Nepal-based employees of foreign insurance firms, and shareholders and operators of helicopter companies.
Investigators allege that the accused staged fraudulent rescue operations in high-altitude trekking regions, falsely claiming that foreign tourists had fallen ill during expeditions. By fabricating medical emergencies and evacuation reports, they allegedly claimed insurance payouts and secured illegal financial gains.
Singh had also served as a member of the government’s high-level committee formed to recommend reforms in Nepal’s civil aviation sector. The panel, coordinated by current Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and former judge Anil Sinha, submitted its report to the government in early September 2025. The arrest raises fresh concerns about oversight and accountability within Nepal’s aviation and mountain tourism industries, both of which are vital to the country’s economy.
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