Fauja Singh Hit-And-Run Case: Driver Of Fortuner SUV Which Fatally Hit 114-Year-Old Marathoner Arrested

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Driver of vehicle which fatally hit 114 year old marathoner Fauja Singh arrested, news agency PTI reported citing people in the know. The Punjab police told the news agency that the accused has been identified as Amritpal Singh Dhillon (26), a resident of Dasupur in Kartarpur. His white Fortuner SUV has also been seized.

Dhillon was going from Bhogpur to Kishahgarh on Monday when he hit Singh (114) in his native Bias village in Punjab's Jalandhar district.

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Legendary athlete Fauja Singh, popularly known as the Turbaned Tornado, died at the age of 114 in a road accident on Jalandhar-Pathankot National Highway on Monday. He was hit by an white Fortuner SUV while out on his routine walk and later succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

According to Punjab police's FIR, Dhillon was speeding when he hit Fauja Singh. The FIR also elaborated that instead of taking the legendary marathoner to a hospital, which could have eventually saved the 114-year-old's life, Dhillon fled the scene.

Also Read | Fauja Singh, 114, world's oldest marathoner, killed in Punjab hit-and-run

The incident occurred on Monday around 3 pm, when Fauja Singh, a resident of Beas village under Adampur police station, stepped out for a walk after lunch. While he was walking alone towards the highway, a speeding vehicle hit him. He was rushed to Shriman Hospital, but died during treatment at 7 pm, police said.

According to a report by India Today citing police sources, authorities had compiled a list of suspect vehicles linked to the incident. Late on Tuesday evening, they identified a Fortuner SUV registered to Varinder Singh, a resident of Kapurthala.

Further investigations saw Jalandhar police travel to Kapurthala to question Varinder Singh, who revealed that he had sold the vehicle two years earlier to Amritpal Singh Dhillon, an NRI who had recently returned from Canada.

According to villagers, marathoner Fauja Singh was tossed 5-7 feet in the air after being hit by the vehicle.

After the incident, an FIR was registered against the driver under sections 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police said.

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