During an inspection of an industrial complex in Eshtehard, officials noticed that the site’s gas consumption did not match its reported activity. Further investigation led to the discovery of over 360 cryptocurrency mining machines, Tavakoli said.

After gas supplied to the station was shut off, the facility’s internal network remained pressurized, raising suspicions of an illegal connection, he said.

Following coordination with authorities and obtaining a judicial warrant, gas company personnel, working with security police, began inspecting and excavating the site. The operation continued into the early hours and eventually uncovered a deep underground passage beneath the gas station, Tavakoli said.

Investigators determined that the facility’s owner had dug a tunnel from inside the factory to install an unauthorized connection to the station’s 4-inch inlet line, he said. The connection was then concealed with waste materials and by restoring the surrounding area, making it difficult to detect through conventional methods.

Gas company experts identified the illegal connection by carefully examining the pipeline layout and consumption patterns, Tavakoli said. After the connection was discovered, gas service to the facility was cut off, the station was sealed and the case was referred to the relevant authorities for legal proceedings.

Tavakoli, who is also deputy oil minister for gas affairs, said the station has a capacity of 1,000 cubic meters.

He warned that unauthorized gas connections not only waste national resources and facilitate illegal consumption but can also pose serious safety and life-threatening risks to workers, equipment and gas infrastructure, increasing the potential for incidents such as explosions and fires.