Tunnel leading to platinum mine discovered in family bedroom (3 photos)

The homeowner said two strangers threatened her and her family and moved into their home to gain access to a mine. Police arrested the couple and charged them with illegal mining.





The homeowner, a 65-year-old man, claims he and his wife were forced to help a gang of criminals who wanted easy access to a nearby platinum mine in Rustenburg, South Africa.

The 31-year-old woman admitted that she knew the house was used as an entrance and exit to a tunnel that led from the master bedroom to the Huseleka mine. The mine has one of the largest platinum reserves in the country.

"Two men approached me. One of them was a foreigner and the other spoke a language I did not understand. They told me that they had been underground for a long time, under my house. The strangers told me that I should let them enter their mine through my house. They said they needed to make money. The foreigners threatened. Do or die, they said," the woman told local media.



According to her, the suspects set strict rules for the family about what they could and could not do in their own home.

"We lived with these people in the house, and they even set rules for us. My children were not allowed to use the bathroom. They had to live in their own room, and they were given rules too," the woman said.



She also said she was told to never look at people entering or leaving the house. The pair have been charged with illegal mining, possession of suspected stolen goods and interference with essential infrastructure.

"The team received a tip-off and made the arrests. "It is believed that the owner of the house, who lives there with his family, used a hole in the floor of a room or allowed others to use it as an entrance to a nearby mine shaft. With the assistance of mine security, some of the mine's property and other equipment were found in the house," police spokesperson Amanda Funani said.