Fauja Singh hit-and-run case: NRI arrested from Punjab; vehicle seized

The Punjab Police on Wednesday arrested the man allegedly responsible for the hit-and-run incident that led to the death of 114-year-old marathon legend Fauja Singh on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway. 

The accused, Amritpal Singh Dhillon, a 26-year-old non-resident Indian (NRI) originally from Kartarpur in Jalandhar, was apprehended two days after the incident.

Dhillon, who resides in Canada with his family, had reportedly returned to India just a week ago.

Police officials confirmed that Dhillon was driving a Toyota Fortuner (registration number PB 20 C 7100) at the time of the accident. The vehicle has since been recovered.

According to police, Dhillon confessed to the crime and said he was alone in the vehicle, travelling from Bhogpur to Kishangarh when the accident occurred.

Fauja Singh was crossing the road near his native village in Punjab when he was struck by Dhillon's speeding vehicle. He suffered serious head injuries and later succumbed to them.

The breakthrough in the case came after investigators traced the Fortuner using CCTV footage from nearby surveillance cameras. The police tracked Dhillon to his village, where he was taken into custody.

An FIR has been registered at the Adampur police station, and Dhillon has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

A global icon of strength and willpower, Fauja Singh has inspired millions by running marathons past 100. He took up marathon running late in life and has reportedly completed over 100 marathons.

Born in the undivided Punjab at Beas Pind near Jalandhar on April 1, 1911, Fauja Singh started running as a means to overcome his grief after witnessing the death of his fifth son in a construction accident in 1994.

Having emigrated to England in the 1990s, Fauja Singh took running in international competitions at the age of 89 and soon started taking part in International marathons. Settled in Ilford with one of his sons, Fauja Singh, soon became renowned worldwide as he set many records in the 90-plus age category.

Besides the marathon, he would participate in many long-distance running disciplines in the Masters' category. At the age of 100, he accomplished eight world age group records in one day, at the special Ontario Masters Association Fauja Singh Invitational Meet, held at Birchmount Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

His biography, titled 'Turbaned Tornado', was formally released in the Attlee Room of Britain's House of Lords on July 7, 2011.

He was one of the torchbearers for the London Olympics in 2012 and was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to sport and charity.