Fauja Singh Death: Canada-Based NRI Arrested In Hit-And-Run Case

2025-07-17 01:55:51

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Legendary marathoner Fauja Singh , fondly remembered as the 'Turbaned Tornado,' passed away on Monday at the age of 114 after being hit by a vehicle. The accident occurred his ancestral village in Punjab's Jalandhar.

Singh suffered head injuries in the hit-and-run accident and was taken to the hospital, where he later died. His son, Harvinder Singh, confirmed the heartbreaking news and said, "He was hit by a vehicle, and the driver ran away. The police are conducting an investigation. The last rites will be done in 2-3 days."

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The driver, Amritpal Singh Dhillon, a 26-year-old non-resident Indian (NRI), was arrested on Wednesday, Indian media reports said. The Punjab-registered Toyota Fortuner, which was allegedly involved in the hit-and-run on Monday, has also been seized.

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Dhillon, originally from Kartarpur in Jalandhar, had gone to Canada on a tourist visa but got a work permit there, which is valid till 2027, police officials said. He came to India late last month.

The accused told the police that he did not know the man he had hit was the marathoner, and only learnt about it through the news, Indian media reports said.

Who was Fauja Singh?

Fauja Singh, popularly known as the 'Sikh Superman,' stunned the world by shattering several records as a marathon runner in multiple age brackets. Since making his debut at the London Marathon in 2000 at the age of 89, Singh has completed it six more times and has also finished marathons in Toronto, New York, and several more cities.

He ran several full marathons and also competed in 10 km races before retiring in 2013.

He was not inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records due to the lack of a birth certificate, as birth records were not kept in India in 1911, media reports said in 2011.

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