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Six women charged in Norwood break-in are part of criminal enterprise, police allege
During the booking process, police allegedly found two of the six Maryland women had obscured or altered fingerprints.
Six Maryland women are facing charges after they allegedly broke into a Norwood home last week and subsequently led officers on a car chase and foot pursuit, authorities said.
A preliminary investigation indicated the women are part of a criminal enterprise operating across multiple states, the Norwood Police Department alleged in a press release. All six are related, according to police.
Officers initially responded to a reported break-in at a house in the Neponset Street area around 12:30 p.m. Friday and learned the owners arrived home to find several strangers inside, police said. When confronted, the women allegedly fled to a waiting vehicle and drove off.
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An officer spotted a matching vehicle soon after and attempted to pull it over, but the driver sped off and led police on a brief pursuit, according to the release. Six women exited the vehicle and fled on foot into a wooded area nearby, but the officer was able to arrest one of them.
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The remaining women fled when another officer approached them behind a business on Pleasant Street, leading to another foot pursuit, according to police. Officers were ultimately able to arrest the remaining suspects, including two women who purportedly attempted to flee across a nearby river.
“Thanks to the coordinated efforts of on-duty officers, specialized units, and mutual aid partners, all six suspects involved in the break-in were taken into custody,” Norwood Police Chief Christopher Padden said in a statement.
During the booking process, police allegedly found two of the women had obscured or altered fingerprints. Norwood officials worked with Homeland Security Investigations to confirm the women’s identities.
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Mirabela Caldararu, 42, Jajela Chiciu, 41, Flavia Caldararu, 22, Emilia Sardaru, 36, Mihaela Ion, 33, and Elizabeth Sardaru, 21, face myriad charges, including breaking and entering during the daytime with intent to commit a felony, conspiracy, possession of burglarious instruments, and resisting arrest. They’ve all pleaded not guilty, though lawyers for the women were not immediately reachable for comment Tuesday.
All six have Maryland addresses, and several had active warrants from other states for similar offenses, according to police. The women were arraigned Monday in Dedham District Court, where bail was set at $5,000 cash each.
Notified of the arrests, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took three of the women into custody immediately after they posted bail, according to Norwood police. ICE also detained two male relatives who arrived at the courthouse to post bail, police said.
All six women are due back in court Sept. 12 for hearings.
“We commend the outstanding police work, teamwork, and inter-agency coordination that led to the safe and successful apprehension of all six suspects,” Padden said.
The case remains under investigation, and Norwood detectives are working with other law enforcement agencies to investigate related crimes, according to the release. Norwood police urged anyone with information to contact Detective Ryan Marchant at 339-364-9632.
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