SALEM, N.H. — Salem Police arrested four people in connection with what they are calling a stolen car ring after a victim’s car was found off Pelham Road last week, leading to four cars being seized.
Three of the men were held without bail and arraigned in Salem District Court on March 21, Salem Police said in a release.
One person arrested was a juvenile from New Jersey and released to a parent.
The three men were charged with multiple counts of receiving stolen property, motor vehicle anti-theft penalties, concealing the identity of motor vehicles and possession of altered titles.
They were also charged with possession of controlled drugs and a misdemeanor of possession of property without a serial number.
One man arrested was Virgilio Ceballo Arias, 22, of Lawrence. The other two men were Xaviel De Jesus Rodriguez Torres, 28, of New Jersey, and Estuary Lanfranco, 28, of New York City.
On March 20, the Salem Police Department were alerted from someone that their stolen car, a Honda CRV, was pinging off in the location of Pelham Road.
The car was stolen around 11:30 a.m. in the Bronx. The car was pinged and found off Pelham Road where Salem officers found the car at 5 p.m. with stolen plates and an altered Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
The car’s owner provided police with unique characteristics of the car to identify it.
Detectives staked out the stolen car and about an hour later, several cars entered the area of Pelham Road with the four individuals.
Police conducted felony stops and were able to arrested all individuals and seize four cars.
Police obtained search warrants and found VINs were removed or altered on the Honda CRV. Two vehicles had stolen or counterfeit VINs along with a fake Massachusetts inspection sticker. Other evidence collected included fake car titles.
Salem Police said the cars’ computers were also wiped clean and changed to reflect new VINs. Police are still trying to determine if one of the cars was stolen.
The investigation is ongoing.
Salem Police could not search one of the cars because of a state law which requires the consent of the vehicle’s operator to give consent for it to be searched – even though the operator stole the car. This has caused a delay in the investigation.
Salem Police was assisted by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, the New York City Police Department and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.