Wayanad Police have arrested six people, including one who escaped from custody after attacking officers in Kozhikode, in connection with a highway robbery. The accused had waylaid a businessman’s car at Kalloor near Muthanga on November 4 and caused panic on NH 766.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the case, apprehended Athanippurayil Nishanth (39) of Edakkunni, Thrissur; Kanjirath Muttil Sibin Jacob (36) of Ayiroor, Pathanamthitta; Vengathottathil Joji (38) of Athikkayam, Pathanamthitta; Satheesadanam Satheeshkumar (46) of Erumeli, Pathanamthitta; and Kunnel K P Subeesh (36) of Seethamount, Pulppalli, from various parts of the state.

Thattarathil Appu alias Suhas (40), who had escaped from custody during transit at Kozhikode, was also arrested on Monday. Police said Puthuchira Rajan (61) of Seethamount, who was arrested earlier, had provided surveillance and logistical support to the gang. With these latest arrests, seven people have been held so far, while others remain at large.

According to police, Nishanth was caught in Cheroor, Thrissur, after a chase. Sibin and Joji were nabbed from a hideout in Ranni, and Satheeshkumar was taken into custody from Pongummood, Thiruvananthapuram. Subeesh, who had been on the run since the incident, was tracked down in the forest village of Chekadi.

Suhas had attacked the police and escaped at Chevayoor while being brought to Wayanad from Thrissur. The team led by Sub-Inspector Ramkumar surrounded Suhas's hideout at Thannissery. Police said he had been living among construction workers to evade detection.

Acting on the directions of Wayanad SP Taposh Basumatari, multiple teams tracked Suhas’s movements across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. A habitual offender, he is wanted in several cases, including criminal intimidation, assault, and burglary. The SIT, led by Sulthan Bathery DySP K K Abdul Shereef, includes Inspectors Sreekanth S Nair and M A Santhoshkumar.

Attack on the highway
The gang waylaid the businessman’s SUV near a bridge at Kalloor while he was returning from Bengaluru. They followed the vehicle in two cars and a goods autorickshaw. After blocking the trader's vehicle, they smashed its windows with a hammer and assaulted the businessman and his driver.

The attackers fled with the vehicle, a laptop, mobile phones, a tablet, and two bags. Police later recovered the vandalised car from Tharappathukavala near Padichira, Pulppalli. The first breakthrough came from dashboard camera footage, which helped identify some of the accused within two days.

Rajan, who coordinated the robbery locally, was arrested first. Analysis of his call data records led police to others in the gang.

Investigators suspect the attack may have been a case of mistaken identity, as the gang was allegedly targeting a vehicle carrying hawala money. Police believe the arrested men were part of a hit team hired for the job, and the hunt for the mastermind is currently underway.