An Indian couple who claimed to have climbed Everest last month have been accused of lying and even doctoring photographs of themselves to appear at the summit in a bitter row between feuding mountaineers.

Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both 30, had been widely lauded for their achievement on May 23, when images showed them proudly unfurl the banner of the Pune police force, where they both work as constables, atop the world's highest peak.

At an emotional press conference shortly after their trip, the couple paid tribute to three less fortunate Indian climbers who had perished on the same slopes that week, and told reporters that they had for years put off having a child until achieving their dream of successfully defeating Everest.

But according to a group of rival alpinists also from India’s Maharashtra state, holes quickly appeared in the Rathods’ story.

They claim that the pair superimposed images of themselves taken lower down Everest or even inside a studio onto photographs of the summit, and posted these on Facebook.