Mt. Gox consults Japanese police over missing bitcoins

Mt. Gox, the Bitcoin exchange based here that filed for bankruptcy protection last month, said on Wednesday that it had asked the Japanese police for advice on Bitcoins worth half a billion dollars that the company claims were stolen by hackers. It remains unclear, however, whether the Tokyo Metropolitan Police will start a formal investigation into the purported heist. 

Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox is now working with local police in Japan to find out what happened to all those missing bitcoins. In a newly-posted document on the Mt. Gox Web site, CEO Mark Karpeles revealed that the company has “consulted with the metropolitan police department with regard to the disappearance of bitcoins.” Mt. Gox has submitted all the necessary documents related to the matter, Karpeles said, adding that the company intends to cooperate with the authorities. Mt. Gox filed for bankruptcy protection last month as Karpeles revealed that it lost almost 750,000 customer bitcoins, as well as 100,000 of the exchange’s own bitcoins. Last week, Karpeles announced that 200,000 of those missing bitcoins were discovered in an unused “wallet,” leaving the total number of those still missing at 650,000 (around $383 million at current exchange rates).