Jalandhar, July 16: In a significant development in the hit-and-run case involving renowned veteran marathoner Fauja Singh, the Punjab Police have arrested Amritpal Singh Dhillon, a Non-Resident Indian who had recently returned from Canada. The arrest was made late Tuesday in Kartarpur, Dhillon’s hometown.
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According to police sources, Dhillon was driving the Toyota Fortuner SUV involved in the fatal collision that led to the death of the 114-year-old athlete. The vehicle, which had been purchased two years ago from a resident of Rurhampur, was identified through CCTV footage and forensic analysis of debris recovered from the scene.
“We identified the vehicle from surveillance footage. It is a Punjab-registered Toyota Fortuner,” said Harvinder Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jalandhar Rural, in a statement to the Press Trust of India. “From the accident site, we recovered fragments of the vehicle’s left headlight, which were matched to the footage. The registration number was partially visible, which allowed us to trace the vehicle.”
The SSP added that the SUV had changed hands multiple times before the incident, suggesting it had been resold.
Fauja Singh, widely celebrated as the world’s oldest marathon runner, was struck by the vehicle while walking along the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway, close to his residence in his native village. Eyewitnesses reported that the impact threw him several feet into the air. He succumbed to his injuries later that evening.
A First Information Report (FIR) was filed under Sections 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against an unknown driver shortly after the incident.
During police interrogation, Dhillon confessed to being behind the wheel at the time of the accident. He told investigators the collision occurred while he was returning from Bhogpur, where he had gone to sell his mobile phone. Alarmed by the incident, he fled the scene, fearing the consequences.
Authorities have confirmed that efforts are underway to recover the vehicle involved.
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