Malaysian authorities have arrested four crypto mining operators because of theft.
But what did they steal? Electricity from the state-owned power firm called, Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB)/
From initial reports, authorities took two days cracking down on four shophouses, which was reportedly housing cryptocurrency mining centers secretly.
These firms were situated in the cities of Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, Jalan Pahlawan, and Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman.
Further investigation revealed that the thieves had already looted. Over $59,000 per month from the power company.
The hunt was also a joint effort with the Electrical Inspectorate Unit, or EIU, from the Sarawak Ministry of Utilities.
In capturing the criminals, they divulged that “at all premises, it was found that unsafe direct tapping cables from the main incoming supply were hidden in the gypsum ceiling that was connected straight to the electrical appliances, bypassing the meter and avoiding actual electricity consumption measurements.”
Loss accounted for a total of $191 in monthly electricity bills. The police also added that the miners even cheated local energy meters to appear a legitimate operation.
In larger news worldwide, there were at least 50 crypto-related electricity theft cases that have been investigated since 2018.
In Kyrgyzstan, law enforcement authorities chased an illegal cryptocurrency mining farm on the territory of a local free economic zone, or FEZ.
The Republic of Abkhazia, whose surge in crypto mining activities are dramatic despite them being illegal since 2018, also encountered mining hardware worth over $589,000, which has crossed the border over the past six months.
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