Malaysian authorities destroy 1,069 Bitcoin mining rigs with a steamroller

Dimapur, July 18 (EMN): Amid a massive crackdown on illegal crypto-mining operations across several countries, another cryptocurrency mining farm has been shut down, this time in Sarawak, Malaysia.

According to a report by Vice, Malaysian police confiscated the illegal mining rigs over six raids conducted between February and April this year. The officers didn’t just confiscate the mining rigs but proceeded to destroy a total of 1,069 Bitcoin mining rigs with a steamroller.

In Malaysia, Sarawak Energy, an electric utility company, reportedly accused the crypto miners of stealing RM8.4 million (approximately about INR 15 crore) worth of energy. Mining operations of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many other cryptocurrencies do require a lot of electrical energy and it is no surprise that energy theft is being reported here.

For instance, Ukrainian authorities raided a mining operation last week accusing the operators of stealing energy from the country’s power grid.

The Malaysian city’s police chief Hakemal Hawari told local Sarawak news outlet Dayak Daily that six individuals had been arrested in connection with the illegal crypto-mining operations and stated that three houses burned down as a result of illegal electric connections.

Watch Malaysian police destroy a total of 1,069 Bitcoin mining rigs with a steamroller below. The total cost of the confiscated mining rigs was reportedly around RM5.3 million (more than INR 9 crore).