Chennai: Five Malayalis arrested in connection with the ₹4.5 crore highway heist in Kanchipuram have been remanded by the court. Tamil Nadu Police are continuing their search in Kerala for 12 more accomplices.

The robbery took place on August 20 at Aatupathur in Kanchipuram district, where a car belonging to a Maharashtra-based parcel service company was intercepted and looted. The main accused—PV Kunjumuhammad (31) of Peringode, Palakkad; Santhosh (42) of Mundur; Jayan (46) of Kodali, Thrissur; Rishad (27) and Sujilal (36), both from Kollam—were taken into custody by Tamil Nadu Police from Kerala last Saturday and produced before the Kanchipuram court the next day.

According to police, a group of youth traveling in three cars intercepted the parcel company’s vehicle, which was heading from Bengaluru to Sowcarpet near Chennai, and decamped with the cash. The car belonged to Jatin, a resident of Borivali, Maharashtra, who owns the parcel company. Drivers Piyush Kumar and Devendra were transporting the money when the incident occurred.

Based on Jatin’s complaint, police traced the suspects using mobile tower data and found they had fled to Kerala. Investigators believe a 17-member gang from Kerala carried out the robbery. Half of the stolen money has reportedly been recovered from the five arrested suspects.

The Tamil Nadu Police team is continuing its probe in Kerala to locate the remaining accused. Relatives of PV Kunjumuhammad had earlier lodged a missing person complaint with the Chalissery Police in Palakkad, unaware that he had already been taken into custody by Tamil Nadu Police.