Chinese Police Arrest Bitcoin Miner Who ‘Stole’ 150 MW of Electricity

A Chinese man has found himself in police custody after trying to steal electricity to support his unprofitable Bitcoin mining activity, local media outlet Xinhua reports June 22.

The suspect, known just by his last name Ma, purportedly mined Bitcoin and Ethereum on two hundred computers in the nation’s Anhui territory, all of which have been seized by the police upon the miner’s arrest. Altogether, Ma had stolen 150 megawatts (MW) of power, according to Xinhua.

As indicated by the sources, Ma had no clue about the power costs for running the significant mining activity when he bought the equipment in April, which in this manner ended up being more than 6000 yuan ($930) every day.

The police were alarmed to Ma when the local grid “reported abnormal electricity usage.”

“…Police found that the electricity meter for the suspected cryptocurrency mining operation had been short-circuited, which was likely an attempt to dodge the power bill,” Xinhua includes.

China has looked to get serious about its mining industry lately, which had already included an expansion of operators in areas which had over-supply of power.

Different cases including the training have surfaced in the media, incorporating a case in April when a Taiwanese miner was shot by criminals after a fumbled bargain.

Around the world, Bitcoin mining is relied upon to expend 0.5% of total electricity output when the year ends, Cointelegraph revealed in May.