Police have detained a man for his alleged rape of several underage girls in southwest China's Yunnan Province, local publicity authorities said on Tuesday.

A 43-year-old villager surnamed Liu from Zhenxiong County in the City of Zhaotong was seized on Friday on suspicion of raping one schoolgirl, according to a statement from the county publicity department.

The case was reported to the local police on Thursday, it said.

Initial investigation shows that Liu may have assaulted several other schoolgirls, the statement said, without specifying a number of victims.

Further investigation is under way.