A volleyball player-turned-career criminal, a meticulous planner who spent months perfecting every move, and the mastermind behind one of Kerala’s biggest highway heists — yet his game ended in the hands of Alappuzha police. Maariyappan alias Satheesh (34), a native of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu and the prime accused in the ₹3.24-crore Kayamkulam highway robbery, was captured in Chennai on June 20 by a five-member squad from Kareelakulangara police station, just as he was preparing to flee to Andhra Pradesh.

The looted money remains unrecovered, though investigators said that Maariyappan had handed over ₹25 lakh to his advocate in Tamil Nadu immediately after the heist. “He was sure he would be caught. These accused are habitual offenders and plan months in advance, including what to do if they are arrested,” Kayamkulam DySP T Binukumar told Onmanorama.

Among the eight accused in the case, three have already been arrested in July, while police are still on the lookout for the others.

A former sports college student and volleyball player, Maariyappan had used his team management skills to assemble and coordinate the gang. Police said he brought together men from Coimbatore, Kumbakonam, Tiruvallur, and Thanjavur, ensuring every detail of the operation was carefully arranged.

The Alappuzha heist
The robbery took place at 4.30 am on June 13 at Cheppad in Ramapuram. The gang, arriving in a car, blocked a parcel truck carrying cash from Coimbatore to Kollam and fled with two packets of money addressed to a Kollam resident. CCTV cameras along the highway helped police trace the vehicle and identify Maariyappan and a few others. A border alert was issued, and toll plaza records from Tamil Nadu confirmed the gang’s movements, though the car they used had a fake registration number.

“We travelled through Tenkasi to Kumbakonam, covering almost 500 km, and finally traced the car to Tiruvallur. We arrested one of the direct accused and another man who had helped the gang change the number plate,” said Kareelakulangara SHO CI J Nissamudheen, the investigating officer.

Police said the gang had been preparing for at least two months. “All of them are accused in similar cases, following the same modus operandi. Some are involved in criminal cases, contract work, and even murder,” added Nissamudheen.

Based on call records and other leads, the Kareelakulangara police team — Sub-Inspector Bajith Lal and Civil Police Officers Shanavas, Nishad, and Akhil Murali — travelled across Karnataka, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, where the gang had scattered after the heist. Investigators discovered that Maariyappan had used multiple phone numbers, often borrowing random people’s phones to contact his hometown. The last such call was traced to Chennai.

In Chennai, CCTV visuals showed him boarding a taxi. Police tracked down the driver, who revealed where he had dropped Maariyappan. By scanning more footage from the area, officers identified the building where the accused was hiding. On June 20, around 3 pm, they spotted him walking away with a bag, preparing to flee. In a swift, but difficult chase, the squad caught him.

After being presented before the Harippad court, Maariyappan was remanded. Police had applied for custody, but the plea was rejected after he claimed officers had assaulted him and that his life would be in danger if handed over to them. “He knew exactly what to say. His false statement led to the rejection of the custody plea. He is extremely organised — he even arranged for an advocate and kept ₹25 lakh ready as legal fees immediately after the robbery,” said DySP Binukumar.