The trek had unfolded much as Melody Soptaka had imagined.

For nearly a week, she, her husband and four other Bangladeshi trekkers followed Nepal's Mardi Himal trail through dense forests, mountain villages and ridgelines overlooking the snow-covered peaks of the Annapurna range.

Like thousands of Bangladeshis who travel to Nepal every year in search of adventure, she had signed up for an organised trekking trip, placing her trust in experienced guides and trip leaders to navigate some of the world's most remote mountains.

That trust was shattered on the final night of the trek.

At a mountain lodge in Badal Danda on June 4, a confrontation broke out between another trekking group and a Bangladeshi trek host who had become one of the most recognisable figures in Bangladesh's adventure travel community.

Within hours, allegations emerged that a Malaysian tourist had been secretly filmed while showering.

Days later, the allegations led to the arrest of Bangladeshi mountaineer and trekking host Taufique Ahmed Tamal in Nepal, triggering shock and anger across Bangladesh's growing trekking and mountaineering community.

According to Nepal Police, Tamal remains in custody while authorities investigate a formal complaint filed by a Malaysian woman.

"We received a formal complaint and have taken him into custody," Nabin Karki, superintendent of police in Nepal's Kaski district, told Bangla Outlook.

"The case is under investigation and will proceed under an indecent behaviour case."

Karki confirmed that the complainant is a Malaysian national.

Under Nepal's National Penal (Code) Act, 2017, Section 295 prohibits taking a photograph of another person without that person's consent, except for limited situations involving incidental photographs in public places.

A bathroom or shower is considered a private place, meaning that exception would not apply. The reported punishment for taking a photograph without consent is up to one year imprisonment, a fine up to NPR 10,000, or both.

What happened at the Lodge

Soptaka was staying at the same lodge when the incident unfolded.

Initially, she and her group had little idea what was happening as members of another trekking group gathered around Tamal in the lodge's dining area.

Later, the leaders of that group approached them and explained that a Malaysian woman had alleged she discovered someone filming her while she was showering.

According to Soptaka, the woman reported seeing a mobile phone positioned above a bathroom partition.

The Malaysian tourist and members of her group then confronted Tamal and requested access to his phone.

"The victim and the lodge owner wanted to check the phone, but he was not willing to show it to them," Soptaka told Bangla Outlook.

Soptaka said members of the Malaysian group later claimed that videos found on the device included footage of the complainant and other inappropriate recordings. Bangla Outlook has not independently verified those claims.

If investigators conclude that any recording was subsequently shared, published, sold, sent to others or otherwise distributed without consent, Section 296 of Nepal's National Penal (Code) Act, 2017 may also apply.

The punishment can be up to three years imprisonment, a fine up to NPR 30,000, or both. Nepal's Privacy Act, 2018 additionally criminalizes taking, selling, publishing or otherwise using photographs without the consent of the person concerned and strengthens protection of privacy in private spaces.

Documents reviewed by Bangla Outlook appear to show a formal complaint filed by the Malaysian tourist with police in Kaski district, home to Pokhara, the gateway city to Nepal's Annapurna trekking region.

The confrontation continued late into the night inside the remote mountain lodge.

For Soptaka and others in her group, however, the immediate concern was practical.

"We had not even come down from the mountain yet," she said.

The following day, they descended from the trail and returned to Kathmandu.

A familiar face

Tamal is one of the best-known trekking hosts in Bangladesh's adventure tourism scene.

Over the years, he built a reputation through numerous Himalayan expeditions and high-altitude climbs. In September last year, he summited Mount Manaslu, the world's eighth-highest mountain at 8,163 metres. He had previously climbed Mount Ama Dablam, one of Nepal's most iconic peaks.

He regularly led trekking expeditions through Altitude Hunter, a prominent Bangladeshi adventure travel group that organises trips across the Himalayas.

Following news of the arrest, Altitude Hunter announced that Tamal had been removed from all organisational activities pending the outcome of the investigation.

"A serious allegation has been raised against Altitude Hunter host Taufique Tamal," founder Fazlur Rahman Shamim said in a statement.

"While the matter remains under investigation, Tamal has been relieved from all activities of Altitude Hunter. Permanent action will be taken depending on the outcome of the investigation."

In an interview with Bangla Outlook, Shamim said he was unaware of any previous formal complaints against Tamal.

He acknowledged, however, that the latest allegations are serious and confirmed that Tamal remains in police custody.

"We cannot bear individual responsibility for Tamal's actions, but we need to hear his side of the story as well," Shamim said.

Tamal could not be reached for comment.

The arrest has reverberated far beyond a single trekking group.

Nepal has become one of the most popular international destinations for Bangladeshi travellers, particularly among a growing community of trekkers and mountaineers.

According to Nepal Tourism Board data, 48,848 Bangladeshi tourists visited Nepal in 2024, up from 36,483 in 2023. Bangladesh is now among Nepal's fastest-growing tourism source markets.

While Nepal does not publicly release trekking permit data by nationality, trekking operators in both countries say thousands of Bangladeshis travel to Nepal each year specifically for trekking routes such as Mardi Himal, Annapurna Base Camp, Everest Base Camp and Langtang.

For many women, organised trekking groups are viewed as the safest way to access remote mountain regions.

Soptaka said the allegations have shaken that sense of security.

"When I am not thinking that I am a girl going somewhere that could be unsafe, it means I am putting immense trust in the group that I am going with," she said.

"I think that trust was hurt terribly after this incident."

That trust, she said, extended not only to Tamal as an individual but also to the organisation that selected and promoted him.

"I put my trust in Altitude Hunter. Tamal is part of Altitude Hunter to me. To me, that is his identity."

Since news of the arrest spread on social media, several Bangladeshi women have posted allegations of past misconduct involving Tamal.

Bangla Outlook has not independently verified those claims.

Calls for accountability

The fallout has spread across Bangladesh's wider trekking and mountaineering community.

In a joint statement, several organisations, including Bangla Mountaineering and Trekking Club, Vertical Dreamers and other adventure groups, condemned violations of privacy and conduct that undermine the safety and dignity of women.

"We strongly condemn any act that violates personal privacy, constitutes sexual harassment, or undermines the dignity and safety of women," the statement said.

Pending the outcome of the investigation, the groups said Tamal would be excluded from their programmes, promotional activities and joint initiatives.

The organisations also pledged to uphold accountability, ethical conduct and safe participation within Bangladesh's trekking community.

For Soptaka, the incident raises broader questions about responsibility within an industry built on trust.

"If they now say this is Tamal's personal matter and that he has to deal with it alone, I don't think you can avoid your responsibility there," she said.

"Because you kept Tamal as a trip leader, you facilitated him with these chances. I am not saying you did this intentionally, but he had these chances because of you."

The allegations have also left many women who previously travelled with Tamal wondering whether they, too, may have been affected.

"At this point I am too scared to look into it if he has anything of me," Soptaka said.

As Nepal Police continue their investigation, the case has exposed vulnerabilities within a fast-growing adventure tourism culture that depends heavily on trust between travellers and the people guiding them through unfamiliar terrain.

"Now I don't know who I will travel with next trip," Soptaka said.

"If I cannot trust a tour operator, maybe I have to arrange everything by myself."

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Durga Rana Magar, a Pokhara-based journalist, contributed to this report.