Four additional cases of electricity theft linked to cryptocurrency mining have been uncovered at several residential properties in Miri, Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) announced on Wednesday (Feb 11).
Three of the cases were detected in the Vista Perdana housing area, while the fourth was at a property along Jalan Miri-Bintulu, during operations conducted by SEB’s operational arm, Syarikat SESCO Berhad.
According to the statement, following public tips, inspectors found a single-storey terrace house in Vista Perdana with cables illegally connected directly to the main power supply, feeding electricity to 10 crypto mining servers without valid metering.
Routine meter inspections in the same area also uncovered two more cases at separate single-storey terrace homes, where illegal connections were used to power a total of 25 crypto mining servers.
Meanwhile, at a residence on Jalan Miri-Bintulu, officers discovered hidden illegal wiring above the ceiling supplying electricity to three crypto mining servers.
All illegal connections and related equipment were removed and seized as evidence. Preliminary estimates suggest that the unmetered electricity usage from the four premises could amount to around RM22,200 per month.
Police reports have been filed, and investigations are underway under Section 33(5) of the Electricity Ordinance. If convicted, offenders may face fines of up to RM200,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.
Sarawak Energy noted that cryptocurrency mining consumes substantial amounts of electricity, and some operators take shortcuts by installing unauthorised connections to reduce operational costs.
The company also warned that such actions pose serious safety risks, including fire hazards, electric shocks, and damage to the electrical infrastructure, in addition to potentially disrupting the electricity supply to neighbouring properties.
