Indian Police Couple Fired for Faking Everest Climb with Photoshop
In September 2016, an Indian couple made international headlines after it was found that their photos “proving” they had reached Mount Everest’s summit had been faked using Photoshop. It turns out the husband and wife were both police officers in India, and they’ve just been fired after an investigation into their deception.
Police commissioner Sahebrao Patil tells the PTI news agency that the couple was fired because they “shared misleading information” and “brought disrepute to the Maharashtra Police department.” There’s no word on whether the Rathods will face charges from Indian authorities for their actions.
Nepal had already slapped the Rathods with a 10-year ban on mountaineering in the country after their separate inquiry found the climb to be faked (after originally certifying the climb).
After their purported “climb,” the Rathods widely published photos that were supposedly taken at the peak. Shortly afterward, however, other climbers came forward and claimed that the photos were actually theirs… with Dinesh and Tarakeshwari inserted into them.
One climber was 33-year-old Satyarup Siddhanta, who actually climbed Everest two days before the couple said they did. Siddhanta shared his displeasure in a Facebook post last year when he discovered the photo theft:
“I don’t know whether the family summited or not,” Siddhanta tells The Daily Mail. “I was not there to see that. All I want is those pictures of mine should not be misused. Those pictures mean a lot to me.”
The couple also made the mistake of showing themselves in different sets of climbing outfits. Veteran Everest climbers pointed out that climbers never change their gear right before submitting Everest because of the difficulty and exhaustion it would cause.
An actual successful summit would likely have been lucrative for the Rathods, bringing fame in India for their “first couple” climb and money from things like book deals and speaking engagements.
