A Danish gun shop owner has been arrested after 21 pieces of female genitalia were found at his home in South Africa.

Officers arrested the man at his house, where they found 21 pieces of women's genitalia stored in plastic bags in a freezer, said police spokesman Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi. Police also discovered anesthetic and surgical implements in the man's home.

One of the 58-year-old man's victims alerted the police, said Mr Mulaudzi. Police have asked other women who have been assaulted by the man to come forward.

The man will appear in court on charges of sexual assault, said Mr Mulaudzi. Police have enlisted the help of forensics experts who may find other criminal charges, the spokesman added.

Mr Mulaudzi said the man's motive is not known. It is not known if the body parts are from 21 different women. It is not known how the man committed the assaults or if the women are dead or alive.

The Danish citizen owns a gun shop in the city of Bloemfontein in the central Free State province, reported Volksblad, a local Afrikaans language newspaper.