Kathmandu: Nepal Tuesday imposed a 10-year ban on an Indian police couple from climbing any mountain in the Himalayan nation after they tried to fake a successful ascent of Mount Everest with digitally altered photographs.
Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both said to be in their 30s, had claimed that they climbed the peak of the Everest, the world's highest mountain on May 23.
But fellow climbers raised doubt on the claim of the couple, both police constables from Pune, saying their photos at the summit were manipulated.
Nepal's Tourism Ministry earlier certified their claim but later carried out an investigation, which proved it to be fake.
"Our investigation has found that the couple faked their summit. We have canceled the certificate and imposed a 10-year ban against them from climbing any mountain in Nepal," said Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal, chief of the Tourism Department of Nepal.
The official said that analysis of photos submitted by the couple showed they had superimposed their faces and the Indian flag on pictures taken by another climber who had climbed the 8,848-meter Mt Everest a few days earlier than they claimed to have done so.
"We sought clarification from them, but they did not cooperate in our investigation," said Dhakal.
"The ban should serve as a warning for other mountaineers to follow ethics," he said.
The couple had held a news conference in the capital, Kathmandu, on June 5 to say they had reached the peak of Everest on May 23.
The Rathods, who serve in Pune police force, could not immediately be reached for comment. The city's commissioner of police, Rashmi Shukla, said an inquiry had been opened into apparent discrepancies in their Everest account.
"We are waiting for information from the Nepali side," Shukla told Reuters.
A total of 456 people, including more than 250 foreigners, summitted the world's highest peak during this year's spring season, after two consecutive years of deadly disasters that halted the climbing mounted mountains.
Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks. The $11,000 permit fee paid by climbers is a key source of income for the cash-strapped country, in addition to outlays for logistics, sherpa guides and gear that support its economy.
(With agency inputs)