- विज्ञापन -
Jalandhar: The accused in the hit-and-run case that claimed the life of 114-year-old marathon legend Fauja Singh has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Canada-based Amritpal Singh Dhillon, 26, was produced in court following his arrest by Punjab Police late Tuesday night.
Dhillon, who had returned to India just three weeks ago, has confessed to hitting Fauja Singh with his Toyota Fortuner on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway and fleeing the scene out of fear.
The tragic incident occurred on Monday afternoon when Fauja Singh, famously known as the “Turbaned Tornado,” stepped out for his usual post-lunch walk in his native village of Bias.
CCTV footage from the area showed the veteran runner walking slowly along the roadside, pausing briefly before continuing. Just 120 meters from his home, at around 3:08 pm, a speeding SUV hit him while he was attempting to cross the highway.
The impact caused severe head injuries, and he was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital. Despite medical efforts, Fauja Singh succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
The Punjab Police responded swiftly to the case and launched an investigation that led to a breakthrough within 30 hours. At the accident site, they recovered broken fragments of a headlight, which were sent for forensic analysis. Experts identified the parts as belonging to an older model Toyota Fortuner. Investigators then combed through CCTV footage from the highway for the time between 3 and 4 pm.
Among more than 40 vehicles seen crossing that stretch, one Fortuner matched the damage observed at the scene. Using the vehicle’s number plate, the police traced it to a man named Varinder Singh from Kapurthala, who revealed during questioning that he had sold the SUV to Amritpal Singh Dhillon.
Dhillon, originally from Kartarpur in the Jalandhar district, had moved to Canada eight years ago following his father’s death. He lives there with his mother and three sisters and works as a labourer. He holds a valid Canadian work permit until 2027.
He visits Punjab once every year, and this time he had returned on June 23 to oversee repairs to his ancestral home. Dhillon was located and arrested in his native village after being identified as the current owner and driver of the SUV.
During interrogation, Dhillon admitted that he was returning home after selling his mobile phone when the incident happened. He confessed to hitting the elderly man and fleeing in panic, fearing the consequences. At the time, he was unaware of the victim’s identity and only learned that it was Fauja Singh after seeing the news reports later.
According to Harvinder Singh Virk, the Senior Superintendent of Police for Jalandhar Rural, the case was solved efficiently within 30 hours. With Dhillon now in judicial custody, further legal action will proceed in the coming days.
