PCRJ charges a man with stealing electricity to power covert Bitcoin mining. Rigs with excessive performance.
A man was arrested by the Civil Police of the 37th Precinct ( Ilha do Governador ) on the charge of illegal electricity use.
The arrest occurred on September 4th, when the residents complained about loud noises. The sounds were on a property, Rua Magno Martins, in the Freguesia neighborhood.
Police discovered elite crypto mining setups at the house. The house was electrically connected but without a meter. This indicated that electricity was being stolen to run the machines all the time.
Rented Property to use exclusively in Cryptocurrency mining
The house investigations revealed that the house was rented to run mining rigs. The aim of the criminal activity was to evade electricity payments.
Police affirmed that the man was found with the red hand. He is charged with stealing electricity, an increasing crime with crypto operations.
Power is consumed in this kind of illegal mining. It also presents a threat to local electricity systems. The Civil Police emphasized that these are serious crimes.
Rising International Cryptocurrency Mining theft.
The case is indicative of a broader international issue. In other countries (Latin America and others), other forms of theft associated with crypto mining are also reported.
Electricity theft creates losses to millions of dollars each year. Technology and tips given by the population are used by the police forces to apprehend criminals.
As an example, Paraguay and Malaysia have smashed down on the illegitimate crypto mining sites.
There are those countries that impose very high fines as a deterrent to stealing. There are other people who have to juggle between theft and legal mining.
Local Effect and Law Enforcement Services.
The unlawful rigs have the ability to interfere with the local power. They result in electricity network surges and overloading. In this case, raids are usually caused by complaints from the people.
Vigilance in law enforcement is emphasized by the effective response of the Civil Police. They targeted the illegal operation using the resident reports and physical inspections. Governments are still combating theft to preserve community resources.