Ex-Girlfriend Discards 5900 Cr Bitcoin Treasure!
Imagine striking gold, only to have it buried under a mountain of trash literally.
By: Tupaki Desk | 30 Nov 2024 11:36 AM GMTImagine striking gold, only to have it buried under a mountain of trash literally. That’s what happened to James Howells, whose Bitcoin fortune, worth a jaw-dropping Rs 5,900 crore, now lies forgotten in a landfill in Newport, Wales. The culprit? His ex-girlfriend, Halfina Eddy-Evans, who inadvertently discarded the hard drive containing the key to his digital treasure nearly a decade ago. What was intended to be a simple cleanup request ended up as an accidental burial of one of the most valuable fortunes ever lost.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Eddy-Evans explained that she was just following Howells’ orders, unaware of the future consequences. “I threw away his rubbish. He asked me to,” she admitted. “I didn’t know what was inside, and losing it wasn’t my fault.” A classic case of "what you don't know can't hurt you," right? Well, unless it's 8,000 Bitcoins!
The saga began in 2009 when Howells mined the cryptocurrency, forgetting about it until years later, when he discovered the drive was lost, sitting somewhere beneath 100,000 tonnes of waste in a landfill. The value has since skyrocketed, and now Howells is suing the Newport City Council for Rs 4,900 crore, desperate to recover the drive. But the council’s response? A firm “no.” They cite environmental concerns and permit restrictions as reasons not to dig up the treasure.
As the legal battle drags on, Eddy-Evans has made it clear she’s not interested in the fortune, but rather in putting an end to the drama. “I hope he finds it, but I don’t want any part of it,” she says. Meanwhile, Howells promises to donate 10% of the newfound fortune to turn Newport into the UK’s version of Dubai or Las Vegas. Because, of course, if you find a treasure chest, you may as well build a new city on top of it, right?