00:00And finally today, police in Nepal have arrested 32 people for scamming Mount Everest climbers.
00:05And I promise you, it is not what you think. It's way worse. Everest guides allegedly laced
00:11the food of tourists in an attempt to trigger costly helicopter rescues. They would then build
00:16travel insurers for the cost and then make off with the cash. And this thing was apparently
00:21pretty widespread. Those arrested include trekking company owners, helicopter operators,
00:26and even hospital executives. Now, the scammers are believed to have sprinkled baking soda into
00:31meals, which would then cause gastrointestinal issues that mimic altitude sickness or food
00:35poisoning. Easiest way to get treatment? Well, chopper rides, of course, which the sick people
00:41were pressured into taking. Now, tour operators would allegedly use forged medical and flight
00:46documents to build travel insurers for the cost. Bing, bang, boom. The scammers allegedly pocket
00:50nearly 20 million bucks in pilfered profits.
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