Kriti Mehrotra
Netflix’s ‘Bank Robbers: The Last Great Heist’ is a documentary movie that can only be described as equal parts exciting and astounding due to the way it charts Argentina’s most notorious looting. After all, it delves into every aspect of the crime — whether it be the meaning, the methods, or the motive behind it — through first-hand accounts of the rather proud perpetrators themselves. So now, if you wish to learn more about the stolen haul, the local officials’ recovery efforts for it, as well as how much the crooks actually made out with, we’ve got the essential details for you.
How Much Did The Thieves Steal?
It was back in September 2004 that Fernando Araujo came up with the idea of robbing a two-story Bank Rio branch in his native of Acassuso, San Isidro, to supposedly explore the art of the offense. From deceiving the police throughout the rip-off to building an underground tunnel for their getaway to using toy guns in order to ensure no harm, the artist was the one to plan/schedule it all. A lot of particular intricate aspects thus needed to be carefully worked out, which is why he and his entire crew were only ready to carry out the radical operation on Friday, January 13, 2006.
The group stormed Bank Rio around the afternoon before spending hours simply “negotiating” with the police, just to disappear following a demand for pizzas and a promise to surrender at 3:30. It was 7 p.m. when law enforcement decided to step in, but the robbers were long gone, taking with them nearly $20 million in the form of both cash as well as valuables from safety deposit boxes. They’d cracked open 143 safes in the two hours they’d allotted themselves upon securing the place and hostages, and then they fled via the tunnel rather than their entry point of the front gate.
Where is The Stolen Money Now?
One of the first (and last) things the squad did upon reaching safety was obviously divide the entire loot amongst themselves, unaware that they’d be arrested within mere weeks owing to an informant. However, apart from the $938,700, ₱80,315, and €30,084 recovered from Beto De la Torre’s home during his apprehension, along with likely smaller funds from others, a majority remains pinched. There are actually reports suggesting there wasn’t a blown-out expansive effort to legally retrieve the money either since the insurance companies and the bank had already handled the situation.
“Everyone who played a role in this story won,” Fernando Araujo said in the Netflix original production. “Prosecutors advanced careers, police officers became detectives afterwards, and the judges were recognized. The victims’ insurance got them more than they had. Like pirinola [a spinning top game], where everyone is a winner.”
As for where the cash or valuables are today, they’re possibly still being carefully utilized by the crew, who have understandably never even admitted to having anything in safekeeping. In fact, they’ve never once revealed the precise amount they managed to gain from the job either, let alone what they did with it — that’s part of the reason this heist is called “the robbery of the century.”
Read More: Where is Informant Alicia Di Tullo Now?
