BEIJING, July 23 (Reuters) - Chinese police have arrested a man on suspicion of raping 17 women, mainly migrant workers, since last August in a part of eastern China popular with South Korean investors, the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday.

Cheng Yehua, 24, was arrested in Shandong province and is also suspected of 24 burglaries, the report said.

"The victims said their attacker struck between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., carrying a knife and wearing a surgical mask, when the young women were sleeping in rented homes after finishing night shifts," it added.

Cheng, recently married and whose wife is five months pregnant, was taken into custody by police last month while carrying a knife and white surgical mask, Xinhua said.

"During interrogation, Cheng allegedly said he could not control his desire after he successfully committed the first of the 24 crimes last year," the report said.

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