PIO student murdered in her London student residence

LONDON: A Tunisian man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a 19-year old Indian-origin

student

who was found dead in her student accommodation in

London

on Saturday.

Sabita Thanwani, a British national, was found dead at her hall of

residence

Arbour House, in Sebastian Street, East London, at 5.10 am on Saturday. The building, run by Unite Students, houses 188 students in en-suite rooms and studios that start at £232 (Rs 23,000) per week.

She was a first-year undergraduate student reading psychology at City, University of London, next door to Arbour House.

Police officers and ambulances attended the hall of residence and found Thanwani suffering from serious injuries. Despite the best efforts of the emergency services she was pronounced dead at the scene. Students reported hearing loud banging, commotion and the fire alarm going off.

Sabita’s parents issued a statement on Monday paying tribute to their “beautiful, irreplaceable angel”.

The statement said: “Sabita Thanwani was our daughter. Our angel. Her life, that we hoped would be long, was cut tragically short. She was ripped away from those who loved her so very dearly; her mum, dad, brother, grandparents, extended family and friends. Sabita was pure and did not see bad in anyone, because there was no badness in her own awesome heart. We will never ever stop loving or missing our beautiful, irreplaceable Sabita. The girl that was an angel upon the earth is now an angel in heaven. We can only pray that lessons will be learnt and that somehow there will come a day when girls and women are safe.”

Maher Maaroufe (22), a Tunisian national, of no fixed address, who was in a relationship with Sabita, was arrested on Sunday afternoon in the Clerkenwell area of London on suspicion of murder and assault on police. He remains in police custody.

Detective chief inspector Linda Bradley, who leads the investigation, said: “Maaroufe had been in a relationship with Sabita but he was not a student. Sabita’s family have been updated with this development and continue to be supported by specially trained officers. Our deepest condolences are with them.”

A City, University of London spokesperson said: “As this is an ongoing police incident, we are unable to comment on their investigation. As a university, we will do everything we can to support our students and staff and we will continue to fully support the police with their investigation. We are working closely with Unite Students who own and operate Arbour House”.

Explore the yearly horoscope 2025 for Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces zodiac signs. Don't miss the Chinese horoscope 2025 for Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig zodiac signs.