Schoolboy found dead, fellow pupil held: police

A 13-year-old boy was found dead Monday at a Singaporean high school, while a fellow student was arrested and an axe seized, police said.

It was a rare incident in the city-state, which is known for its zero-tolerance approach to wrongdoing and has one of the world’s lowest crime rates.

Police were called to the prestigious state high school in the west of Singapore, where they found the 13-year-old with many wounds.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 16-year-old was arrested for suspected involvement, police said in a statement.

The teenagers did not know one another, according to preliminary investigations.

The suspect will be charged in court with murder on Tuesday, and police said they would ask him to undergo a psychiatric assessment.

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said he was “shocked to receive news of the tragic incident”.

“Our thoughts are with the families of the students concerned.”

Singapore has tough laws for even minor offences such as vandalism, which can be punished by caning.

It has a homicide rate of just 0.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to UN data — among the world’s lowest.