In a decisive crackdown on illicit cryptocurrency operations, North Sumatra Police have dismantled an extensive Bitcoin mining network, seizing over a thousand machines in a sting operation. The sophisticated syndicate, which had set up shop across ten separate locations, is accused of siphoning off electricity on a grand scale, with losses to the state-owned power company PLN estimated at a staggering 14.4 billion IDR (around $936,000).
The Chief of North Sumatra Police, Irjen Agung Setya Imam Effendi, highlighted the cunning methods employed by the miners, who bypassed standard electrical meters to draw power directly from the grid. This unauthorized consumption not only represents a significant financial loss but also underscores a growing trend of energy theft linked to cryptocurrency mining.
The seizure of 1,134 Bitcoin mining rigs is a clear message to potential offenders that the Indonesian authorities are actively pursuing energy theft. This action mirrors international efforts to curb illegal mining operations, as seen with the recent life sentence handed down to a Chinese official for abusing power to facilitate such activities.
