Blast in Bandar Puncak Alam leads to Bitcoin mining crackdown

KUALA LUMPUR - An explosion and smoke from a house in Lorong Cekara Purnama, Bandar Puncak Alam near here led to the discovery of an illegal mining setup on Tuesday.

Sungai Buloh district police chief Supt Mohd Hafiz Muhammad Nor said 14 volunteer firefighters from Saujana Utama and Bestari Jaya were sent to the location of the fire after a local woman made a distress call about the explosion and smoke to the Sungai Buloh district police headquarters at 11.41am.

"Firefighters and police on patrol had to break into the uninhabited house, where the fire had started in a room with modified circuitry that had short-circuited.

"At 4.45pm after the fire was put out, a team of police and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) personnel went to the house too investigate and found that the electricity had been connected illegally for bitcoin mining,” he said in a statement yesterday, adding that nine bitcoin mining rigs, nine blower fans and a D-link router were found.

He said an investigation paper has been opened under Section 427 of the Penal Code and Section 37(1) of the Electricity Supply Act 1990 and urged those with information about the matter to contact the nearest police station or assistant investigating officer Mohamad Nurizwan Hafiz Abd Halim at 017-2494940. - BERNAMA