London: A teenager has been fatally stabbed only days before he was due to leave Britain to be reunited with his family.

Mauritian Nabeel Bakurally, 19, was killed in a suspected row with a group of rival Asian men in Ilford.

The foreign student, who emigrated to London three years ago, became the 28th teenager to be violently killed in London this year.

Friends of the teenager, known as Ashik, on Monday revealed how he was looking forward to flying home to Mauritius for a family wedding.

Rocky Jaison Mokhoon became friends with the music-loving teenager through the Mauritian club nights he organises.

He said: "I started shaking when I heard it was Ashik. He was such a good character, respectful and polite, very well-spoken. He wasn't one of the rough boys, hanging around in gangs or mixed up in anything bad.

"He used to come to the CO2 bar in Ilford every time I was DJ-ing. I knew he was working hard in college and looking forward to going back to Mauritius for two weeks to see all his family."

A 17-year-old friend of the victim, who was also stabbed in the attack, remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Mokhoon, a director of the Hope and Wellness charity, said he believes the row was over a Mauritian girl whom the teenager knew.

Tensions

Tensions between Mauritian and Indian teenagers in the area have been high for weeks and Ashik may have inadvertently been drawn into the feud.

Mokhoon added: "He wasn't the type to fight. There was an Asian club event in Ilford that night so there would have been a lot of Indians around."

The student is thought to have been living with his father in east London while his mother and a younger brother and sister were in Mauritius. His family is said to be on its way to London.

Three men have been arrested following the stabbing at 2.30am on Saturday in High Road, Ilford. Two men, aged 23 and 24, were arrested shortly after the incident.