A 25-year-old Narre Warren South man was among three arrested and interviewed by the Vehicle Crime Squad related to a car rebirthing syndicate.
On Wednesday, 28 May, detectives from the squad, as well as members from the Illicit Firearms Squad, VIPER Taskforce, Echo Taskforce and Gang Crime Squad, executed three warrants in Narre Warren South, Caroline Springs, Meadow Heights, and two factories in Laverton North and Brooklyn.
Police seized a range of allegedly stolen items from across the five addresses, including: a 2020 Nissan Qashqai wagon, allegedly stolen from a Craigieburn business earlier in May, and a 2025 Nissan Pathfinder, allegedly stolen from Nissan prior to being registered.
Officers also seized a range of false, cloned, stolen and homemade number plates, false VicRoads transfer papers and false identification documents, log books from rebirthed vehicles, and vehicle parts, a large quantity of cash, drugs believed to be steroids, and electronic equipment such as mobile phones and computers.
Detective Inspector Julie MacDonald, from the Vehicle Crime Squad, said that “vehicle theft can have an enormous impact on people’s lives”.
“Not only the financial losses associated with having your car stolen, but also losing the freedom of movement for things such as employment or family responsibilities.
“Yesterday’s arrests and seizures are a really satisfying result for Vehicle Crime Squad detectives, and the investigation into the activities of this syndicate remains ongoing,” she said.
All seized vehicles will all be forensically assessed, and police are hoping to return them to their rightful owners as soon as possible.
Alongside the Narre Warren South man, a 31-year-old Caroline Springs man and a 24-year-old Meadow Heights man were also arrested and interviewed.
The Narre Warren South man has since been charged with eight offences, including dealing property suspected of being proceeds of crime, obtaining property by deception, using false documents and using identification information.
Police alleged that the syndicate was selling stolen vehicles with cloned identifiers taken from online advertisements for legitimate vehicles, as well as placing trackers in stolen vehicles and re-stealing them in order to sell them again.
The Caroline Springs Man has been charged with 39 offences that include handling stolen goods, dealing property suspected of being proceeds of crime, obtaining property by deception, theft of a motor vehicle, theft, using false documents and using identification information.
As for the Meadow Heights man, he was charged with 15 offences, including handling stolen goods, dealing in property suspected of being proceeds of crime, obtaining property by deception, using a false document, and using identification information.
The three have been bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 12 August.
The investigation remains ongoing, but the arrests made were part of a Vehicle Crime Squad investigation that commenced earlier this month, looking into rebirthed vehicles then being sold online via Facebook marketplace, primarily in Melbourne’s north and northwest suburbs.
During this investigation, a total of 10 allegedly fraudulent sales were identified using 14 vehicles, and 12 of these cars have since been recovered.
“It’s not only about recovering vehicles that have been stolen at great loss to their rightful owners, but also preventing any further thefts,” MacDonald said.
“For those in the market for a new vehicle, particularly if they are looking to buy one privately via online marketplaces, then we urge you to be wary of scams such as this.
“Anything where the deal seems too good to be true and the seller is cagey with providing a lot of identification details or pushing for a quick sale should be ringing alarm bells with people.
Police are urging those looking to purchase a vehicle privately to be wary of scams targeting unsuspecting buyers, including a price that is too good to be true, especially where the vehicle is advertised at a much lower price, and the owner not being present and the vehicle is being sold on behalf of another person.
Other things to look out for include pressure on an urgent sale on the same day, ID checks on the seller where they only produce a picture of the ‘owner’s’ license and no card, meet ups occurring in out of the way places, where one key for the vehicle is provided, and vehicles where the VIN sticker and compliance plates have been tampered with.
“We know that with the cost of living that people are looking to get a great deal, but it’s important that the deal doesn’t result in people losing their hard-earned money,” MacDonald said.
“The Vehicle Crime Squad will continue to target those contributing to organised motor vehicle crime in Victoria and shut down any illegal activity of this nature.
“We’d also invite anyone with information about this kind of illegal activity to please contact Crime Stoppers – it can be done anonymously, and we’ll continue to act on these reports.”
