Three capers

It sounds a little wrong to say, but there are some really kick-ass bank robberies here.

1. As recounted in this Clarín article: Shortly after the ATM was loaded up with cash Friday afternoon, thieves put glue on the keypad to make sure no one could take money out of it, thereby ensuring a good haul. They returned at 2am, set up a folding screen to obscure their nefarious activities, busted out a blowtorch and walked away with US$100,000.

2. Meanwhile on Monday morning in Mar del Plata, thieves made off with about US$60,000. They entered the vacant house next to the bank, drilled a hole in the wall between the house and the bank, and cracked into the ATMs. When the police arrived, they found only debris and the hole in the wall.

3. But the mother of them all is the robbery last year in a Buenos Aires suburb.

A little after noon, four thieves took 18 customers and the bank employees hostage.

The hostages were kept on the second floor while the robbers stayed on the ground floor, looting the safe deposit boxes.

By later that afternoon, the bank was surrounded by 200 police officers. Police negotiated with the robbers. The robbers asked for six pizzas and some soda, which they received. In return, they freed three hostages.

At 7pm, police stormed the bank. They found empty safe deposit boxes. But they found no robbers.

In the basement behind a piece of furniture, investigators discovered the opening to a tunnel. The tunnel connected to the sewer system and was booby-trapped to discourage police from following.

The thieves had escaped through the tunnel with at least US$200,000 with neither the hostages nor police realizing it.

Now, obviously you shouldn't rob banks.

But if you do, you should do so awesomely.