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A woman has reportedly admitted to accidentally discarding the hard drive containing access to her ex-boyfriend James Howells' lost Bitcoin fortune- now worth an astonishing Rs 5,900 crore (569 million pounds).
Halfina Eddy-Evans, the mother of Howells' two teenage sons, told Daily Mail that nearly a decade ago, she took the hard drive to a landfill in Newport, Wales, as part of a cleanup at Howells' request. "Yes, I threw away his rubbish. He asked me to," she explained. "I had no idea what was inside. Losing it wasn't my fault."
Howells mined 8,000 Bitcoins in 2009 but forgot about them until years later, when he realized the hard drive, containing the digital key to his cryptocurrency fortune, had been lost. Now buried under 100,000 tonnes of waste in a Newport landfill, the hard drive remains inaccessible despite its growing value.
Howells is suing Newport City Council for Rs 4,900 crore (495 million pounds), accusing them of blocking access to the landfill. "This treasure hunt isn't going away," Howells told Fortune. "The value grows every day."
However, the council has repeatedly denied his requests to excavate, citing environmental concerns and permit limitations. A spokesperson stated, "Excavation is not possible under our environmental permit, and such work would have a huge negative impact on the area."
Eddy-Evans insists she wants no part of the fortune if it's recovered. "I hope he finds it, not that I want a penny. I just want him to stop talking about it," she said, adding that the situation has taken a toll on Howells' mental health.
Howells has pledged to donate 10% of the fortune to transform Newport into "the Dubai or Las Vegas of the UK" if the hard drive is recovered. For now, his legal battle continues, with a hearing scheduled for early December.