In a significant development in the hit‑and‑run case that claimed the life of 114‑year‑old marathon legend Fauja Singh, Indian state Punjab Police late Tuesday arrested 32‑year‑old Non‑Resident Indian, Amritpal Singh Dhillo, from his hometown of Kartarpur.
Dhillon, who had recently returned from Canada, was identified as the driver of the Toyota Fortuner that struck Singh on the Jalandhar‑Pathankot highway on Monday afternoon. Singh, known as the world’s oldest marathoner, was walking near his native village—just 400 metres from his home—when he was thrown five to seven feet in the air by the impact. He succumbed to his injuries later that evening.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police Harvinder Singh, investigators matched fragments of a left‑side headlight recovered at the crash site with the suspected vehicle. “From CCTV footage, we saw a Punjab‑registered Toyota Fortuner driving at high speed. A fragment of its headlight was left at the scene,” SSP Harvinder Singh told PTI.
“The registration number was legible, and our teams traced the vehicle through its change of ownerships.”
Amritpal Singh Dhillon purchased the Fortuner two years ago from Ravindra Singh of Rurhampur, police have confirmed. During custodial interrogation, Dhillon admitted that he had been returning home after selling his phone in Bhogpur when the collision occurred.
“I was driving too fast and panicked after I realised I had hit Mr. Singh,” Dhillon told officers, according to sources at CNN-News18.
“I fled because I was scared.”
Dhillon faces charges under Sections 281 (rash driving) and 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code. He is currently being held at the Jalandhar Rural Police station pending further questioning, and authorities expect to recover the Fortuner in the coming hours.
The arrest brings relief to a community that has mourned the sudden death of a national icon. Singh’s last rites are expected to be conducted later this week, family members have said. Police continue to appeal for any additional witnesses or dash‑cam footage to assist the ongoing investigation.
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