BEAS (JALANDHAR), July 15 — The Jalandhar Rural Police have arrested the driver involved in the tragic hit-and-run that claimed the life of 114-year-old marathon legend Fauja Singh. The breakthrough came after investigators identified a white Toyota Fortuner — bearing registration number Punjab 20 C 7100 — as the vehicle that struck Singh while he was crossing the Jalandhar-Pathankot National Highway on Monday afternoon.
Superintendent of Police Harvinder S Virk said the police had painstakingly traced the car by piecing together broken headlight and bumper parts recovered from the site. “With no CCTV at the accident location, our teams reviewed hours of surveillance footage from nearby areas. We matched footage of vehicles before and after the accident site and noted the damage on this specific SUV,” Virk said.
The vehicle, which had reportedly changed hands three times, was difficult to track due to incomplete records on the transport department portal, Virk added.
Singh, a celebrated centenarian marathoner known worldwide for his extraordinary fitness and grit, was on his way to a family-owned dhaba when the vehicle hit him near his native Beas village at around 3:10 pm. He died from excessive bleeding before medical help could arrive.
“He could have lived longer if the driver had stopped and helped,” said Harvinder Singh, Fauja’s son. “He committed a crime and fled. That regret will always stay with us.”
Police have registered a case under Sections 281 and 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Adampur police station. Further investigation is underway.
