Report by International Online (reporter: Li Shanshan): New Year's Day is usually a time for family gatherings and joyous celebrations, but a gang of master criminals in Argentina took advantage of everyone’s relaxation to work overtime, digging for three days straight. They staged a heist worthy of the movies by breaking into a bank and stealing money and valuables from over 130 safe deposit boxes.
The branch of the Provincial Bank that was robbed is located in the Belgrano district of the capital, Buenos Aires. This branch had a total of 1,408 safe deposit boxes which customers rented to store their valuable items. The shocking grand theft was discovered on the morning of January 3rd when staff returned to work after the New Year holiday. They found a hole one meter in diameter on the floor, surrounded by tools such as shovels and picks, along with blankets and emergency lights. Items that the thieves left behind were scattered all over the place.
Subsequently, the police launched an investigation and uncovered astonishing facts. The tunnel dug by the thieves was 30 meters long and led to a residence in the same block as the bank. Based on surveillance footage from inside the bank and on the streets, the police revealed that the gang consisted of at least three people who began digging on December 31st, constructing an underground passage like moles. After passing through two buildings, they reached directly under the bank's vaults. The entrance to the tunnel was positioned beneath a group of safe deposit boxes, so the bank staff did not notice anything during routine inspections. On the morning of January 3rd, the thieves completed the tunnel and stole important items from at least 130 safe deposit boxes before retreating back to the residence.
The footage showed the gang tossing stolen items in black plastic bags onto a van and driving away brazenly, as if disposing of garbage. The police department responsible for the bank's security also heard the bank alarm go off twice on the evening of January 2nd, but when officers went to check, they saw no abnormalities from outside the bank and thus dismissed the alarms.
After the incident, the bank refrained from disclosing the numbers of the stolen safe deposit boxes or the list of affected account holders, citing ongoing investigations at the crime scene. However, many anxious account holders rushed to the bank to wait for the latest updates.