Buenos Aires, January 13 (NA) – It's been 20 years since the Banco Río heist in Acassuso, one of the most notorious police cases in Argentina's history. A gang of criminals spent months digging a tunnel, took hostages, used toy guns, and escaped in an unthinkable way with nearly 30 million dollars in cash and jewels. During the quiet holiday season, everything changed around noon when the Buenos Aires police were alerted to a hostage situation at the Banco Río in Acassuso. Inside the branch, 23 people were held captive by Alberto de la Torre, Sebastián García Bolster, Mario Vitette Sellanes, Julián Zalloechevarría, and Fernando Araujo. Vitette, Araujo, García Bolster, De la Torre, and Zalloechevarría. When Vitette refused to cooperate, Alicia di Tullio provided the police with the criminals' names, leading to their arrests. In 2010, four years after the robbery, the trial took place. Araujo was sentenced to 14 years in prison, later reduced to 9 years and 6 months. Rubén Alberto De la Torre received a 15-year sentence, which was also reduced to 12 years and 6 months. Luis Mario Vitette Sellanes, the public face of the gang, was sentenced to 21 years and 6 months in prison but was deported from Argentina in 2013 and regained his freedom. José Julián Zalloechevarría was sentenced to 10 years, with his sentence reduced to 8 years. Finally, Sebastián García Bolster received a 9-year sentence, later reduced to 7. However, none of them served their full sentences, and all are currently free. The escape was possible thanks to the criminals' months-long effort to dig a tunnel from a drainpipe to the vault. Anger, Arrests, and Trial For a month during the investigation, each lived a life of luxury surrounded by millions, but anger led them all to prison. Alberto de la Torre's wife, who knew all the gang's movements, demanded money from the robbery and threatened to report them if they didn't comply. No one wanted the worst-case scenario, especially with the precedent of the 1999 Ramallo Massacre, where three people died during a bank hostage situation, reported Agencia Noticias Argentinas. A large-scale operation was conducted by the Buenos Aires police and the Halcón Group at the bank's entrance. After an investigation, they confirmed the gang had escaped in an unexpected, unimaginable, movie-like way. Using two rubber rafts, they fled through Acassuso's underground tunnels and then got into a waiting truck blocks away from the bank. Despite the unprecedented escape, a spurned and vengeful woman reported them, and their plan was foiled. Four of the arrested went to trial, and all are now free. On that Friday, January 13, 2006, it was a normal day. During the ordeal, there were negotiations with “the man in the gray suit,” pizza was ordered, and hostages feared for their lives. While Vitette stalled the police, his accomplices opened 146 safety deposit boxes, stealing between 8 and 25 million dollars. After 7:00 PM, police entered, but the robbers were gone, and all hostages were rescued unharmed. Photo: Agencia NA (social media)
