Police have arrested a 30-year-old man from Canada in relation to the hit-and-run case, which led to the death of marathon runner Fauja Singh.
As per the initial information, the accused has been identified as Amritpal Singh Dhillion. Officials told HT that Singh came from Canada eight days ago and recently purchased a white Toyota Fortuner (PB 20c7100) from a Kapurthala resident.
Officials further added that the accused hails from Dasupur village of Kartarpura sub-division in Jalandhar district.
Also Read: PM Modi leads nation in paying tribute to legendary marathon runner Fauja Singh
As per a PTI report, the accused's family lives abroad in Canada. Singh is currently being questioned by the police.
Ahead of the arrest of the driver, Punjab police identified the SUV involved in the accident. As per police, the car - a white Toyota Fortuner - was seized by the police earlier today.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Jalandhar Rural, Harvinder Singh, told PTI that fragments from the Punjab-registered Toyota Fortuner's headlight were recovered from the accident site.
Fauja Singh, who was also known as 'Turbaned Tornado", was hit by a car on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway on Monday. The 114-year-old suffered from head injuries due to the accident and was rushed to a hospital, where he died.
{{/usCountry}}Fauja Singh, who was also known as 'Turbaned Tornado", was hit by a car on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway on Monday. The 114-year-old suffered from head injuries due to the accident and was rushed to a hospital, where he died.
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: Who was Fauja Singh? Legendary marathon runner dies at 114
The marathon runner was walking down the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway when the incident occurred. As per eyewitness accounts from villagers, Singh was tossed 5-7 feet in the air after being hit by the vehicle.
Following the death of the marathon runner, the Punjab Assembly paid tribute to Singh in the house. Condoling the marathoner's death, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann stated that Singh had made the Sikh community across the world proud with his long-distance running.
Singh also became the first centenarian to complete a marathon and earned multiple records for participating in international events such as in London, New York, Toronto and Hong Kong.