KATHMANDU, Nepal — A Nepalese tourism official says the government is investigating a climbing claim by an Indian couple who are accused of altering photographs of themselves on the summit of Mount Everest.

Chief of Nepal’s Department of Tourism, Sudarshan Dhakal, said Monday that authorities are reviewing the Everest climb by Dinesh Rathod and his wife Tarakeshwari on May 21.

The couple were issued climber’s certificates from the Nepal government after they presented a photograph of themselves on the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) summit.

Fellow climbers, however, say the couple never reached the summit and used someone else’s photographs to get the climbing certificate.

If the accusation is found to be true, the couple would lose their certificates and be banned from climbing any mountains in Nepal.