A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a “kind and gentle” 13-year-old died from a “severe allergic reaction”.
London pupil Karanbir Cheema was rushed to hospital in a “life-threatening” condition on June 28 after suffering a severe allergic reaction at school in Greenford.
Police were subsequently called to William Perkin C of E High School after it became clear Cheema had come into contact with the allergen following an “incident”.
While doctors battled for almost two weeks to save the teen, Cheema died on Sunday with his parents by his side.
A postmortem is set to take place on Wednesday.
A 13-year-old boy from the same school has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, with detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s homicide command launching an investigation into Cheema’s death.
The boy has been bailed until later in July pending further inquiries.
Cheema’s father is now demanding answers as to how his “brilliant” son died.
“My son had allergies but he was very careful. He had an allergy to dairy products but was good at avoiding them,” 53-year-old Aramjeet Cheema told the London Evening Standard.
He added: “We were so proud of him. He had a very bright future. There are a million things he could have done with his life.”
Alice Hudson, executive head teacher of the Twyford Academy Trust, told the BBC that Cheema was a “popular Year 8 student”.
“He had many friends who are devastated at his death, as are the staff,” she said.
“He was a bright and keen student who excelled in maths. Our thoughts and prayers are with Karan’s family.”