Timur Laut district police chief Soffian Santong said the owner, aged 23, lodged a report at 4pm last Friday claiming he was at home in Jelutong when he received a security warning on his mobile phone that the shophouse was broken into.

He said the owner rushed to the place and upon arriving there, saw seven men fleeing in a van and car.

“Acting on the report, police detected the van on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway at 4.30pm and arrested two men, aged 34 and 37, as well as seized three computer components, believed stolen from the shophouse,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.

He said the two men, both locals and with previous records, including for drug-related offences, were remanded for three days for investigation.

Soffian said it was when the police went to the location of the shop house at 12.15am yesterday that they uncovered the premises being used to operate illegal bitcoin mining activities, with the syndicate making illegal connections to steal electricity for the operation.

Inspection by the police at the premises led to the seizure of 149 bitcoin machines worth RM150,000.

Soffian said the shophouse owner and his two friends, aged 24 and 33, were detained to facilitate investigation.

Checks by Tenaga Nasional Berhad found that the syndicate had been conducting their operation for four months, resulting in losses amounting to RM180,000 to the agency, he added.