Arteaga were among 12 security force members seized near the town of Pavarando last August during a nationwide offensive by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). While they were held hostage, a 16-year-old FARC rebel, identified only as "Diana," was smitten by her once deadly rival Montilva and the pair began to exchange love letters. Guerrilla chieftains at the secret camp deep in the jungle of the trouble-torn banana-growing region of Uraba discovered the affair and ordered Diana to dig a 50-yard (metre) trench as punishment. After that she, Montilva and Arteaga hatched their plan to escape. The three arrived at a military barracks in Uraba late Saturday after walking, at times barefoot, for six days through jungle, swimming across storm-swollen rivers and scavenging for forest fruits in order to survive, with guerrillas in pursuit.