Bitcoin "mining" is crazy about stealing electricity. Liaoning Suizhong captured the "electricity thief"

The police in Suizhong, Liaoning Province, recently cracked down on a gang that stole electricity for 408 bitcoin mining machines. The gang stole electricity worth more than 900,000 yuan in 85 days. The suspects have been detained.

The Public Security Bureau of Suizhong County, Liaoning Province, recently cracked down on a gang that stole electricity to power 408 Bitcoin "mining" machines. Due to the huge power consumption of the equipment, in order to reduce costs, they resorted to stealing electricity to keep the equipment running. This group of "power hogs" stole electricity worth more than 900,000 yuan in 85 days. At present, all 408 Bitcoin "mining" machines and more than 100 spare "mining" machines have been seized, and three people involved in the case have been detained.
Jiang Hongxin, director of the Xidianzi Police Station of the Suizhong County Public Security Bureau, told reporters that the Xidianzi power supply line in Suizhong County is powered by the Wanjia 66 kV substation. The daily loss rate of the system in this line was below 6% in 2018. Since 2019, the power loss has soared abnormally, reaching a maximum of 32.58%. The Suizhong County Power Department has organized relevant personnel to analyze the causes of the high line losses many times, but failed to find the crux of the problem, and then reported the case to the police station.
After receiving the report, Jiang Hongxin immediately assigned police officers to conduct an investigation. During the investigation, the police learned that a bungalow in a nearby village was rented to a tenant from another place. Generally, few outsiders came here to rent a house, and some villagers reported that there was often a loud fan roar in the bungalow, which aroused the police's vigilance. In the subsequent visits, the police also learned that this family rarely opened the door, and the villagers rarely saw them. In addition, someone drove around the area every day to "keep sentry", which aroused the police's suspicion. After further investigation, the police determined that the resident was suspected of major electricity theft and arrested two suspects.

"We saw at the scene that the bungalow was full of Bitcoin 'mining' machines, and they were running non-stop," said Jiang Hongxin.

The police found out that the two were employed by a boss named Zheng, and that the electricity-stealing devices were delivered from Beijing and Nanjing and installed in November last year. To prevent Zheng from fleeing, the police promptly blocked the news and arrested him.
Zheng confessed that they rented houses in remote rural areas, privately modified the electrical wires, and stole electricity to use in more than 400 "mining" machines to mine Bitcoin for profit.
According to the police and the power supply department, the suspect Zheng and his accomplices stole electricity worth more than 900,000 yuan in 85 days. Currently, three people have been detained. The case is under further investigation. (Xinhuanet)