12 December 2023 , 12:49
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A man has recalled the moment he "fainted" at work after discovering that his younger brother had tragically died when he received a Ring doorbell notification - that was police calling on his parents with the dreadful news.
Ilyas Habibi, 17, was brutally stabbed to death on his way home from college in Sutton High Street at around 7pm on December 5. He was attacked just after leaving Sutton Station, South London, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
His brother, Mr Habibi, said he grew suspicious of his whereabouts because Ilyas usually visits his workplace once he has finished college. Mr Habibi said their parents were also concerned because his phone was off. They waited around 30 minutes before they alerted the police.
But then Mr Habibi noticed a pop-up on his phone, which he initially thought meant his "hardworking" brother had reached home. He told Your Local Guardian: “I got a notification on my phone from the doorbell camera, so I thought Ilyas was home, so I decided to look at the footage to see what Ilyas was doing.
The teen was making his way home from Sutton Station (Google Maps)“I saw two officers standing outside and my dad answered the door and the officers said, ‘Are you Ilyas’ mum and dad?’ They said: Yes. And the officers responded: “Ilyas has been stabbed and is dead.” Mr Habibi began screaming before he fainted at his job. One of his colleagues then dropped him home, where he found his parents both screaming. The 20-year-old explained that the moment "traumatised" him and will haunt him forever.
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He shared that the day before his death, Ilyas visited him at work and asked him to help him schedule his theory test. He described him as "happy" and said he was certain that he was prepared enough to take the exam. Describing their last conversation, he said: "I asked him, Ilyas, ‘Are you sure you’re ready?. He replied: 'Yes bro.' So, I booked him his test for his for the Wednesday at 9am.”
Mr Habibi said the tragedy has caused his mum to faint “five to six times a day”. Meanwhile, he has been unable to sleep as his brother's bedroom is placed next to his. Police are still hunting his attacker as no arrests have been made at this time. "I just hope justice is served for my brother. I really do," his brother said.
Detective Chief Inspector Mike Nolan who leads the investigation said: “We know that Ilyas arrived at Sutton High Street by train. Minutes after he came out of the station he was involved in an altercation with the suspect who then fled the scene. Ilyas had suffered fatal wounds. It isn’t clear if the suspect was also injured. If you know the suspect, or if you are him, please get in touch. Members of the public who have information and material they want to share with us can do so via our online web portal." The Mirror has contacted Met Police for an update in the investigation.
Anyone with information is urged to call the incident room on 0208 721 4622, call the police on 101 or Tweet on ‘X’ @MetCC quoting crime reference number 6107/5DEC. Alternatively, you can call anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.