Chinese Police Discover Illegal Bitcoin Mining Activity in Mysterious Graves
Nicholas Otieno Jun 06, 2020 04:00
Police in China recently discovered illegal Bitcoin mining, which was buried underneath a local cemetery. Power losses within the area caused the initial suspicion. A Chinese oil field company submitted a tip to the local police requesting them to investigate suspicious power losses in the northern city of Daqing, Heilongjiang province. The police officers arrived at the scene and spotted mysterious two grave mounds lying in the field.
Police in China recently discovered illegal Bitcoin mining, which was buried underneath a local cemetery. Power losses within the area caused the initial suspicion. A Chinese oil field company submitted a tip to the local police requesting them to investigate suspicious power losses in the northern city of Daqing, Heilongjiang province. The police officers arrived at the scene and spotted mysterious two grave mounds lying in the field.
Incurred losses finally unraveled
These were not the grave tombs of the dead but were graves hiding illegal Bitcoin mining operations. Daqing police inspected the area and consequently noticed an entrance near one of the graves. After some digging, they confirmed that it was a Bitcoin mining rig, which was illegally stealing electricity in the northern city of Daqing. The culprits were hiding their operations under two mysterious grave mounds in a relatively empty field. These mining rigs have been causing power losses in the Daqing area because they require huge usage of electricity to power them.
While the case is a bit strange, it is not an isolated incident. Early this year in April, police also discovered another Bitcoin miner hiding 54 mining rigs in the same province. Instead of using grave mounds as cover, the miner had the mining rigs installed under a dog kennel.
China allows the building of hydroelectric plants in well-known Bitcoin mining town
Such incidents may have been influenced by the recent increase in the Bitcoin price. Though cryptocurrency trading is illegal in China, Bitcoin mining is not. Thanks to its cheap electricity, the nation has been a haven for mining farms in the past. As cryptocurrency prices started to increase again, people’s willingness to go into crypto mining also rose.
Government officials in China recently allowed the construction of hydroelectric plants in the Ya’an district of Sichuan to go ahead. Sichuan is a popular town commonly known as the capital of Bitcoin mining. Local authorities have made new reforms to provide cheaper and better opportunities for miners.
Such reforms aim to boost the regional economy by providing employment for the locals and creating sustainable technological infrastructures for blockchain development. As a result, numerous firms are using the nation’s cheap electricity, and the country has become a global leader. Sichuan province is reported to be responsible for nearly 10% of the Bitcoin hash rate globally.
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