Chandigarh: Punjab Police have arrested 26-year-old Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Amritpal Singh Dhillon in connection with the hit-and-run death of Fauja Singh, the 114-year-old marathon icon who inspired millions worldwide with his incredible life and fitness.
The accident took place on Monday afternoon near Beas Pind village on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway.
As per the police the arrest has been made using CCTV footage from the area and broken vehicle parts found at the scene, police tracked the Fortuner (PB20-C-7100) to a man in Balachaur, who had sold the SUV multiple times.
The trail took the police to Dhillon, a resident of Dasupur village in Kartarpur who had returned from Canada a week ago. A team led by SSP Harwinder Singh Virk raided his home on the late Tuesday night and arrested him.
The police said that during interrogation the accused has reportedly confessed that he was driving alone from Bhogpur to Kishangarh when he hit Fauja Singh. He reportedly told the police that he was panicked and fled the scene taking village roads instead of the highway.
However, the police have seized and sent for forensic analysis. Meanwhile, the accused has been booked under Sections 281 (negligent driving) and 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He is expected to appear in court for remand proceedings.
At the time of incident Singh was taking his usual walk when he was struck by a white Toyota Fortuner. He suffered severe head and chest injuries, and he later died in hospital despite urgent medical attention.
Widely known as “Turbaned Tornado,” Fauja Singh didn’t begin walking properly until age five due to weakness. After migrating to the UK he took up running at age 89. At 100, he completed the Toronto Marathon in just over eight hours and went on to become the face of global fitness campaigns. He ran in marathons in London, New York, and Hong Kong, and carried the Olympic torch in both Athens (2004) and London (2012).
He retired from professional running at age 101 but remained active in social causes, especially anti-drug awareness campaigns in Punjab. According to the family members he had chosen to return to his village to spend his final years in peace.
