Hong Kong police have detained two men on suspicion that disabled persons divert electricity from nursing homes for disabled persons Mining machine.
Police claim that the 32- and 33-year-old pair will use access during renovations to install eight devices on the suspended ceilings of two offices. The car ran 24 hours a day, adding $1,153 (hk $9,000) to its monthly electricity bill.
Inspector Ng TSZ-Wing, Sham Shui PO's Technology and Financial Crimes Force, said the incident came to light after a home noticed repeated slowdowns on internet services. IT staff discovered illicit equipment hidden above the ceiling of their offices, and a similar device was later discovered in another home in Saumaupin.
Police arrested the suspects last Friday in Mongok and Sham Shui Po on suspicion of “abstracting electricity.” Investigators believe the man acted alone, not as part of the larger syndicate.
Ng urged the organization to closely monitor contractors during renovations and monitor their electricity bills due to sudden increases. He warned that hidden equipment could remain hidden for months. Under Hong Kong's Theft Ordinance, illegal use of electricity will result in the maximum sentence in a five-year prison.
“People should also be more careful about electricity bills and network use, conduct related checks and notify police if they find any suspicious circumstances,” NG said. South China Morning Post.
Shanon Squires, Chief Mining Mining Officer at Compass Mining, says illegal crypto mining is “power theft and safety risks.” Decryption. He added, “This activity violates the core doctrines of many Bitcoiners, such as personal property rights, hurting others. Engaging in electrical theft is to directly steal someone's property without permission and harm them by sticking to the bill.”
Squires noted that the mining rigs presented by the Hong Kong police “doesn't look like a bitcoin miner,” saying, “On a small scale, unless it's a particularly large-scale operation, illegal mining may be more common than commonly recognized, especially in the case of altcoin mining rather than bitcoin.”
Crypto-mining and energy consumption
Cryptocurrency mining, the process of solving complex mathematical problems in exchange for coins using special computers, is well known for being hunger for energy.
Digiconomist's research estimates that only Bitcoin Mining produces an annual carbon dioxide emission of over 105 million tonnes of CO2, comparable to Belgium's total emissions. Its electricity usage is similar to that of Thailand, and its freshwater demand reflects Switzerland's demand.
The Hong Kong case is not isolated. Earlier this year, police attacked three abandoned homes in Pathum Thani province and seized 63 mining machines illegally connected to utility poles.
In the UK, West Yorkshire executives discovered operations in Bradford, with miners running through illegal power supplies.
In Central Asia, authorities have also reported widespread abuse of the energy network. The Tajikistan Attorney General said illegal mining emitted more than US$3.5 million in electricity in the first half of 2025 alone, but in nearby Kazakhstan, authorities have found that miners are using enough power to supply 70,000 cities.
