The NRI man who crashed his car into 114-year-old Fauja Singh – the world’s oldest marathon runner – has told police he only realised the victim was Fauja Singh after seeing TV news reports about his death.
According to reports, the accused, Amritpal Singh Dhillon, revealed during questioning that he became distressed after learning the victim’s identity from TV coverage.
Dhillon was arrested from his home in Dasupur village, near Kartarpur in Jalandhar district, on Tuesday night.
He told police the accident occurred as he was returning from Bhogpur. After hitting Singh, Dhillon did not stop to assist him and instead drove away. Police believe Singh might have survived had Dhillon taken him to hospital promptly.
Dhillon has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and rash driving.
Eyewitnesses informed police that the vehicle involved was an SUV – either an Innova or a Fortuner.
Officers took a damaged car part found near the scene to Toyota dealerships for identification. They later confirmed the part belonged to an older Fortuner model (2009-2011).
After reviewing CCTV footage, police identified a Fortuner with a broken headlight. Further footage revealed the vehicle’s registration number, leading them to Dhillon’s residence, where the car was parked.
The accused allegedly told police he panicked and fled after the collision.
Fauja Singh’s son, Harbinder Singh, stated that had Dhillon stopped to help, the family would not have pursued a complaint against him.
Meanwhile, a court remanded Dhillon to 14 days’ judicial custody on Wednesday in connection with the case.
