The family of a student who died two days after being mugged for a Blackberry mobile phone are left destitute by his death.

Police launched a murder inquiry after Saravanakumar Sellappan, a 24-year-old Tamil student, was attacked and robbed in Langdale Road, Thornton Heath by three men at 9pm on Saturday night.

Mr Sellappan managed to stagger home after the attack and friends took him to Mayday Hospital, however, he lied to the doctor and said he had fallen down the stairs and was sent home after checks.

Early on Sunday morning his condition got rapidly worse and his panicked friends called an ambulance.

He was rushed to St George’s Hospital in Tooting but died on Monday morning.

Jacob Ravibalan, the president of the World Tamil Organisation – a charity that supports Tamils in the UK, has been talking to the victim’s family in their small village in Namakkal in southern India since his tragic death.

He said: “The family and the whole village are devastated.

"He was only son of a poor farmer in southern India. His parents sold their farm to pay for him to get a good education in England.

“They hoped he would return and help his four older sisters and parents out of poverty. In the meantime they have been trying to earn a living by working as labourers.

“The family is very poor, he had four older sisters and the boy had been supporting all of them. They now have nothing, the father has lost his farm and now his son.”

He explained how he had been called to the hospital to find Mr Sellappan on a life support machine.

Mr Ravibalan said: “The doctors told me he was a possible kidney donor, I called the family and tried to explain to them about organ donation but they did not understand, so they took him off the life support machine and he died.

“I am trying to get some money to send the body back to India - it is very expensive, it costs about £4,000. I also want to get a bit of extra money together for the family.

“Every day I call the family in India to console them and explain what is happening. The whole village has been affected by this tragedy.”

Mr Sellappan had been living in London for two years and was studying business and e-commerce in East London.

He worked part-time at a petrol station in Horley and sent most of his money home to support his family.

DCI Amanda Hargreaves, leading the investigation, said: “It’s an absolute tragedy. We have spoken to the family and they are devastated.”

Councillor Mike Selva of Broad Green ward, said there were a large number of muggings in that area of Thornton Heath.

He said there needed to be more police patrolling the area to stop the muggings.

Two teenagers appeared in Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

Jegir Ali Ahmmadi, 19, of Morland Road, Croydon is charged with murder.

A 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is also accused of Mr Sellappan’s murder.

Both teens were also charged with robbery, and remanded in custody until November 10.