Johor Police Bust Bitcoin Mining Syndicate Stealing Electricity from TNB
Johor police have cracked down on a syndicate that was allegedly stealing electricity from Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) to mine Bitcoin. The operation, codenamed Op Letrik, resulted in the arrest of three local men and the seizure of 71 cryptocurrency mining machines.
The suspects, aged between 26 and 46, were arrested on July 22 and 23 at four different premises in Iskandar Puteri, Johor Baru Utara, and Kulai. The items seized included computers, laptops, routers, monitors, keyboards, a mobile phone, and two vehicles.
The police chief said that the syndicate had been operating for about a month before it was dismantled. They used direct tapping connections to bypass legitimate TNB electricity meters, allowing them to mine Bitcoin without paying bills. The estimated losses to TNB from the illegal mining operation are RM67,502.30 over the roughly one-month period.
Initial investigations found that the syndicate was capable of generating profits of between RM80,000 and RM100,000 per month, with each suspect paid around RM5,000 a month. The case is being investigated under Section 427 of the Penal Code for committing mischief, which carries a jail term of between one and five years, or a fine, or both.