Illegal bitcoin farming is the hot new crime of 2021, apparently. As I'm sure you're aware, it takes a lot of power - and a lot of PCs - to mine enough bitcoin to get rich. That's exactly why one group in Miri, Malaysia opted to steal electricity to power one ambitious operation involving no less than 1,069 PCs.
It would seem that the Malaysian authorities intend to really crack down on this sort of crime, which is why they decided set an example by completely obliterating the PCs seized from this latest operation by... driving over them all with a steamroller. Take a look for yourself below. I don't actually own a gaming PC, but I can imagine that if you do watching this sort of carnage unfold hurts more than a little.
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Malaysian paper The Star (via The Block and PC Gamer) reports that eight people in Miri were charged for this latest crypto scheme. The poor PCs were seized during six raids on properties located near an airport in the Sarawak region as part of a joint operation between local authorities and the Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB).
The report alleges that the eight suspects were stealing power by siphoning electricity from SEB power lines to their bitcoin-mining PCs. It's estimated nearly $2 million worth of electricity was stolen in just over three months. The PCs were disposed of last week via the method you see above. It's unclear why a steamroller was the weapon of choice, but I respect the commitment to such an over-the-top scene.
As you can see above, the country isn't messing about when it comes these crimes anymore, because it's far from the first time something like this has happened.
In March this year a man was accused of pinching nearly $2.2 million in electricity from the Tenaga Nasional Berhad energy company. He's still on the run from the police, and after seeing how the authorities like to use steamrollers, I can't say I blame him.
Featured Image Credit: dayakdaily via YouTube/20th Century Fox