Crypto Mining Equipment Theft: Investigators Turned Evidence into Cash

The Qazybekbi District Court is currently hearing a case against the former head of the investigative department of the Qaragandy region police department.

The official is accused of misappropriating material evidence — mining equipment originally confiscated in Temirtau, Orda.kz reports, citing the regional media source Patriot.

According to investigators, instead of officially seizing the equipment, the chief investigator allegedly orchestrated its replacement with outdated monitors and system units. The original mining equipment was later sold to a local resident, Alisher Akatayev, for $50,000.

Alisher Akatayev, Nikolay Kim, a regional Akimat employee, and police investigator Aydin Kanatov are facing charges.

Authorities believe each played a role in facilitating the crime.

Rustam Kulkeyev, the head of the investigative department, evaded law enforcement.

He was eventually apprehended at home after the case was handed over to the Anti-Corruption Service (Antikor).

Kulkeyev is now in pretrial detention, though no investigative actions involving him have been conducted yet.

The case gets complicated by the investigation into two parallel counts: the theft of the mining equipment and Kulkeyev’s involvement.

Zhan Omarov, the lawyer for one of the defendants, has requested that the cases be merged due to shared evidence, witnesses, and expert analyses.

We need to combine this case with the criminal case against Rustam Kulkeyev. I believe all their alleged actions are interconnected. We are simply beating the air. We are interrogating a large number of witnesses. So much time has been spent - your time, our time, the prosecutor's time. Therefore, I once again request to consolidate the cases, said the lawyer.

The court is expected to deliberate on the lawyer’s motion during the session scheduled for Friday, January 24

Original Author: Rustam Muratov