ALOR GAJAH, Feb 11: Melaka police seized 700 servers, which were utilising stolen electricity for bitcoin mining, at a two-storey shoplot at Pusat Perniagaan Pulau Sebang here yesterday.
Melaka police deputy chief Datuk Shahrul Lalli Masduki said the illegal activity, believed to be going on for about two months, had caused Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to suffer losses of about RM648,000.
He said a 35-year-old man was also detained in the vicinity to assist investigations.
“When the raid was carried out, there was no one at the premises and police had to force their way in. Inspections found the 700 units of servers on the second floor and various electrical devices illegally connected to the electricity supply to carry out bitcoin mining activities.
“Based on the investigation carried out by TNB, electricity consumption was estimated in excess of RM324,000 a month but the bill registered under the premises showed just around RM10 a month,” he told a press conference here today.
Bitcoin mining is the process of creating new bitcoin by solving a computational puzzle. Bitcoin mining is necessary to maintain the ledger of transactions upon which bitcoin is based. Miners have become very sophisticated over the last several years using complex machinery to speed up mining operations. (Source: Investopedia)- Bernama
