New Delhi: Punjab Police have arrested the 26-year-old Amritpal Singh Dhillon, a Non-Resident Indian (NRI), for allegedly killing 114-year-old marathon runner Fauja Singh in a hit and run incident on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway on Monday. The accused was reportedly arrested from his native village in originally from Kartarpur, Jalandhar district.

Fauja Singh, popularly known as the “Turbaned Tornado”, succumbed to his injuries on Monday after the hit-and-run incident near the village of Beas.

The accused Dhillon moved to Canada eight years ago after the death of his father and has since worked as a labourer to support his mother and three sisters. He holds a valid work permit in Canada, effective till 2027 and visits India once a year, mostly for personal and family reasons, a report in NDTV said. 

This time, he returned on June 23 to oversee repairs at his ancestral home. On the day of the accident, Dhillon was allegedly driving back after selling his mobile phone when he hit 114-year-old Fauja Singh, who was crossing the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway.

Fauja Singh suffered a fatal head injury and died few hours later. According to the police, Dhillon panicked and fled the scene.

“He admitted during interrogation that he was scared and had no idea it was Fauja Singh until he saw the news,” said SSP Harvinder Singh Virk. Dhillon was found to be in possession of a valid Indian driving license and had been using a Punjab-registered vehicle. His arrest came a day after the Fortuner involved in the accident was seized. 

(Curated by Niswarth)