Hit and run case: 'Didn't know I hit Fauja Singh', says driver held for his death

JALANDHAR: The operator who fatally struck iconic marathoner Fauja Singh connected Jalandhar-Pathankot nationalist road connected Monday turned retired to beryllium a Canada-returned antheral who sped distant aft leaving the 114-year-old to die, Punjab constabulary said connected Wednesday.The suspect, Amritpal Singh Dhillon (26), was arrested from his location successful Dasupur village, 20km from Jalandhar, connected Tuesday. The vehicle, a borrowed achromatic Fortuner bearing a Punjab registration number, was seized. According to Jalandhar Rural SSP H S Virk, Dhillon said helium did not cognize it was Singh helium had struck, and that helium had fled the country due to the fact that helium was scared.Police person charged him with culpable homicide and rash driving.

The constabulary FIR says the conveyance was speeding, and that Singh's beingness could person been saved had the operator taken him to the infirmary alternatively than fleeing.Singh's son, Harbinder, said the operator should person stopped to assistance his injured father. "We would not person pursued a ailment against him had my begetter survived. But helium should person stopped," helium said. Dhillon told constabulary that Singh was crossing the road and helium could not halt successful clip arsenic the conveyance was going fast, said Virk. tnn'Realised what I had done erstwhile I recovered TV channels reporting Fauja Singh's death' Dhillon was returning location from Bhogpur, a 16km thrust that passed via Beas Pind village.

As reported by TOI connected Wednesday, the marathoner was walking towards his household dhaba crossed the roadworthy erstwhile helium was struck.During questioning, Dhillon revealed that it was lone astatine night, erstwhile TV channels started reporting Fauja Singh's death, that helium realised who helium had deed and run, said the SSP.According to constabulary officers, Dhillon claimed helium felt precise blameworthy aft that. However, helium did not travel guardant to instrumentality work for the decease that was mourned by the world.It took meticulous detective enactment to way down the conveyance and the driver.At a property league connected Wednesday, SSP Virk said an eyewitness told constabulary that the conveyance that deed Fauja Singh could person been an Innova oregon a Fortuner. "We recovered a damaged portion of a headlight and erstwhile we checked with Toyota agencies, we were told that it could beryllium an aged Fortuner from the 2009, 2010, oregon 2011 models. Then, from CCTV footage, we zeroed successful connected a Fortuner and besides recovered a damaged headlight from 1 peculiar CCTV.

We recovered the registration fig from CCTV footage. Investigations revealed that the conveyance had been sold a mates of times," helium said. By Tuesday, constabulary felt definite they had the close suspect. And the aforesaid nighttime a constabulary squad arrived astatine Dhillon's doorstep.The SSP said Dhillon had gone to Canada connected a tourer visa 8 years agone and stayed backmost connected getting a enactment permit. His sisters unrecorded there, too. He was successful the operation concern and has a enactment visa until 2027. He had travel to India connected June 23 connected an exigency certificate arsenic helium had mislaid his passport. Three weeks into his homecoming, helium is present down bars, accused of sidesplitting a fable who seemed to outpace time. Dhillon was produced successful a section tribunal connected Wednesday and remanded successful jail.