On February 18, 2023, a vehicle that was stolen in 2007 in Fortaleza, Ceará, was successfully recovered by the Federal Highway Police (PRF) in Caicó, located in the Seridó region of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The car, a red VW/Gol, was found during a routine inspection on the BR-427, where officers noticed signs of tampering with the vehicle's identifying marks.

Following a thorough check in their systems, PRF officers confirmed that the vehicle had indeed been reported stolen. The driver of the car claimed to have purchased it from a third party at an auction the previous year, which raises questions about the auction's oversight and the processes in place to verify vehicle ownership before sale.

As a result of this incident, the driver was taken to the Civil Police Delegation of Caicó and could potentially face charges for receiving stolen property and tampering with a vehicle's identifying markers. This case not only highlights the ongoing issue of vehicle theft in Brazil but also underscores the importance of diligent checks by law enforcement to recover stolen property years after the crime occurred.