In a swift breakthrough, Punjab Police have arrested 30-year-old Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Amritpal Singh Dhillon in connection with the hit-and-run death of 114-year-old marathon icon Fauja Singh. Authorities confirmed that the involved Fortuner SUV was recovered within 30 hours of the incident, which occurred in Bias village of Jalandhar district.
Dhillon, a resident of Dasupur village in Kartarpur, Jalandhar, was taken into custody late Tuesday night. He is currently being interrogated at Bhogpur police station and is expected to be produced in court on Wednesday, with police remand likely to follow.
According to officials, police had compiled a list of suspect vehicles after the hit-and-run incident. By Tuesday evening, they had identified a Fortuner SUV registered to Varinder Singh, a resident of Kapurthala. Upon questioning, Varinder revealed that he had sold the SUV two years ago to Amritpal Singh Dhillon, who had recently returned to India from Canada.
Dhillon’s mother and three sisters currently reside in Canada, police added. Following the incident, Dhillon reportedly avoided Jalandhar city and drove through interior villages to reach his native place in Kartarpur.
During preliminary questioning, Dhillon confessed to hitting an elderly person near Bias Pind while returning from Mukerian after selling his phone. He stated that he was unaware at the time that the person he struck was Fauja Singh, and only realised it later through news reports.
Fauja Singh, widely known as the “Turbaned Tornado”, passed away on Monday after being struck by a vehicle while walking in his native village. The news of his death was confirmed by author Khushwant Singh, who posted on X after speaking to Fauja Singh’s family: “My Turbaned Tornado is no more. It is with great sadness that I share the passing of my most revered S. Fauja Singh. He was struck by an unidentified vehicle around 3:30 pm today in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja.”
