A convicted rapist in northern China's Jilin province has been arrested and charged with the strangulation of 19 prostitutes, police in Changchun city told AFP.
Police arrested Gu Guangfan, 45, after tracking him down in Changchun's Kuancheng district following the most recent murder, a police official said by phone.
He had previously been convicted of rape in 1989 and served several years in prison, the policemen said.
"Gu became disillusioned with women and after being punished the first time vowed to take revenge," he said.
He is accused of the string of grisly murders which began in October 1997 and ended nearly two years later.
All 19 women were over 30 years of age and all had been raped and strangled after Gu solicited them in local karoke bars and restaurants before going with them to their rooms or to local hotels, the policeman, who refused to identify himself, said.
Gu was also charged with robbing five of his victims of money and objects worth 2,040 yuan (240 dollars).
"This case was difficult to crack because these girls don't have any official residences here," the policeman said.
Prostitution has blossomed throughout China since the country embarked on economic reforms over the past 20 years, with most girls choosing to move far away from their hometowns to work.
Gu is expected to be tried in the coming days, the Legal Daily reported -- BEIJING (AFP)
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