Police in India have arrested a 26-year-old non-resident Indian in connection with the death of 114-year-old British marathon runner Fauja Singh in a hit-and-run accident on Monday in Punjab’s Jalandhar district.
Amritpal Singh Dhillon, who resides in Canada and had returned to India just eight days earlier, was taken into custody on Tuesday night after investigators traced his Toyota Fortuner using CCTV footage and vehicle fragments found at the scene. The accused confessed to hitting Singh whilst driving from Bhogpur to Kishangarh on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Harvinder Singh Virk.
Singh, believed to be the world’s oldest marathon runner, was struck whilst crossing a road near his native village of Beas Pind at approximately 3.30pm on Monday. Eyewitnesses reported the victim was thrown five to seven feet into the air upon impact.
“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,” Singh’s son Harvinder told reporters.
The accused told police he learnt about Singh’s death through news reports later that evening. “He got scared after hitting Fauja Singh, and that is why he did not stop his car at the spot,” SSP Virk said during a press conference.
Dhillon has been booked 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 confirmed he was speeding at the time of the collision.
The breakthrough came after investigators analysed CCTV footage from surveillance cameras near the accident site. Parts of the vehicle’s headlight recovered from the scene helped identify the white Toyota Fortuner bearing registration number PB 20C 7100.
Singh had lived in Ilford in east London since 1992 and become an inspiration for countless athletes by running marathons beyond his 100th birthday. His athletic achievements were made even more remarkable considering he suffered from thin and weak legs as a child and couldn’t walk until he was five years old.
Born on 1 April 1911 in Beas Pind, Singh took up marathon running at age 89 following the deaths of his wife Gian Kaur and son Kuldip in quick succession. The loss of his son proved particularly traumatic – Kuldip was decapitated by corrugated metal blown by wind during a storm whilst the pair were checking their fields.
“Running showed me kindness and brought me back to life by making me forget all my traumas and sorrows,” Singh told CNN in an interview when he was 102.
Singh’s maiden marathon in London was in 2000, with a time of six hours and 54 minutes – 58 minutes faster than other runners of a comparable age. His personal best came at the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, where he finished in five hours and 40 minutes aged 92.
In 2011, Singh became the first centenarian on record to complete a marathon, finishing the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in eight hours, 11 minutes and six seconds. Though his achievement wasn’t recognised by Guinness World Records due to lack of birth certificate documentation, race officials confirmed his age.
Singh served as a torchbearer at both the 2004 Athens Olympics and the London 2012 Olympics. He was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to sport and charity.
“Fauja Singh was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on social media platform X.
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, who had walked alongside Singh during a drug awareness march in December 2024, expressed deep sadness. “Even then, his presence infused the movement with unparalleled energy and spirit,” Kataria posted.
The investigation revealed Dhillon’s family lives abroad and he holds a Canadian work permit valid until 2027. He had purchased the Toyota Fortuner two years ago from a Kapurthala resident.
According to police, Dhillon had sold his mobile phone in Bhogpur on the day of the accident and was heading home when the collision occurred. After hitting Singh, he took internal village roads to Kartarpur to avoid detection rather than continuing to Jalandhar city.
Singh retired from competitive racing in 2013 after completing the Hong Kong Marathon’s 10-kilometre race aged 101, finishing in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds. Despite retirement, he continued walking up to 10 miles daily and remained active in public life.
The “Turbaned Tornado”, as Singh was affectionately known, completed nine marathons during his career and set multiple world age-group records. In October 2011, he accomplished eight world records in one day at a special invitational meet in Toronto.
Singh’s biography, titled “Turbaned Tornado”, was formally released in Britain’s House of Lords in July 2011. He also featured in advertising campaigns alongside David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.
The Punjab Assembly paid tributes to Singh on Tuesday, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ravjot Singh moving a resolution to honour his legacy during the concluding session of the House.
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Image Credit:
Fauja Singh – Image by Satish Krishnamurthy, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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