Eight arrested over power theft, 1,069 bitcoin mining machines worth RM5.3mil seized

MIRI (Bernama): A total of 1,069 units of bitcoin mining machines worth RM5.3mil were seized in a joint operation carried out by police and Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) in Miri between February and April.

Miri police chief ACP Hakemal Hawari said eight individuals were also arrested for being involved in mining activities using electricity stolen from SEB's electricity supply lines during the period.

"A total of six people have been successfully charged under Section 379 of the Penal Code for electricity theft and have been fined up to RM8,000 and jailed for up to eight months," he said in a statement here Friday (July 16).

All seizures made in the cases that had been settled in court were disposed of at the Miri district police headquarters today.

According to him, SEB also suffered a loss of RM8.4mil due to electricity theft for the bitcoin mining activities here.

"The electricity theft for mining bitcoin activities has caused frequent power outages and in 2021, three houses were razed due to illegal electricity supply connections," he added. - Bernama