[ad_1]
Over 1,000 bitcoin mining machines have been totally destroyed in Malaysia after being seized for illegally mining the cryptocurrency using stolen electricity. The mining machines, worth around $ 1.26 million, have been steamrolled in the Malaysian town of Miri and eight people have been arrested so far.
More than a thousand bitcoin mining machines demolished in Malaysia
Malaysian authorities completely destroyed 1,069 bitcoin mining machines confiscated between February and April with a steamroller, local media reported on Friday.
The mining machines were seized during a joint operation by police and Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) in Miri, a Malaysian town on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo. They are estimated at 5.3 million Malaysian ringgits ($ 1.26 million). All the seizures that had been settled by the court were processed at the Miri district police headquarters on Friday.
Miri’s police chief, ACP Hakemal Hawari, said eight people were also arrested for being involved in illegal mining activities. He said in a statement:
In total, six people were successfully charged under Article 379 of the Criminal Code for theft of electricity and were fined up to RM8,000 and jail time up to at eight months.
Authorities said the mining machines were using stolen electricity from SEB’s power lines to mine bitcoin.
According to the police chief, SEB suffered a loss of 8.4 million Malaysian ringgits due to the theft of electricity as part of bitcoin mining activities. He further detailed:
The theft of electricity for bitcoin mining activities has caused frequent blackouts and in 2021 three houses were razed due to illegal connections to the power supply.
Local newspaper Dayakdaily posted a video on Friday of the destruction of seized bitcoin mining machines.
What do you think of the Malaysian authorities destroying bitcoin mining machines with a steamroller? Let us know in the comments section below.
Image credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Warning: This article is for informational purposes only. This is not a direct offer or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, nor a recommendation or endorsement of any product, service or business. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or allegedly caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, good or service mentioned in this article.
[ad_2]
Source link