Nepal govt puts 10-year ban on Pune police couple for fake' Everest claims

Pune: Months after a Pune-based couple made ‘fake’ claims of successfully scaling Mount Everest, Nepal government imposed a 10-year ban on them. According to a report in The Indian Express, the Nepal officials sent a letter to the Pune police informing them of the decision that the couple has been barred from entering Nepal for a period of 10 years.

“This means the probe ordered by Nepal government has confirmed the two had lied about scaling Everest… This is indeed shocking. The couple have tarnished the image not only of police force but of the whole country,” Pune police commissioner Rashmi Shukla was quoted as saying.

Tarakeshwari and Dinesh Rathod, who are serving as constables in Pune police, had claimed on June 5 that they became the first Indian couple to scale the Everest on May 23.

A group of mountaineers had approached Pune police alleging that the two have faked their expedition by morphing photographs at the peak.

The complaint said that there were several discrepancies in their version given about the summit, which can prove that they were making fake claims.

"If you see the individual photos of Dinesh, he is wearing a red and black down jacket at the summit and in the couple photo at the top, both are wearing orange down jacket and yellow and black shoes.”

"It is next to impossible to change clothes and boots mid-climb as there is a danger of frostbite and we are cent-percent sure that photographs were taken either at a base camp or at a studio and later it was meticulously morphed or cropped."

Meanwhile, constable Dinesh Rathod had said that they have submitted all the certificates received from the Nepal government upon completion of the summit, along with other proofs to the investigating officer of Pune Police. He had also alleged that the group of mountaineers were defaming the couple.