A convicted rapist was placed in custody last night on suspicion of murdering a Swedish student whose charred body was found after she had sent a text message about the “odd” taxi driver who had picked her up outside a Paris nightclub.

Amid fears that the suspect could be responsible for a series of unsolved violent and sexual crimes in the Paris region, the case sparked concern among expatriates in France and a political row.

Rachida Dati, the Justice Minister, said that the arrest of Bruno Cholet highlighted the need for tougher laws for repeat offenders. But judges denounced her as “indecent” for exploiting the murder of the 19-year-old language student.

Susanna Zetterberg, from Stock-holm, was last seen alive when she hailed a taxi for the ten-minute journey to her flat in Paris from La Scala, a glamorous discothéque in the French capital, where she had spent the evening.

Fifteen minutes later, the student of French at the Sorbonne University sent a text message to a friend: “I am in a taxi, the driver seems odd.” Her burnt body was found in Chantilly forest last Sunday. Her wrists had been handcuffed behind her back. She had been stabbed in the throat and shot four times with a .22 rifle.

Detectives, working on the assumption that her murderer was among the thousands of unlicensed taxi drivers who operate in the French capital, identified Mr Cholet within days. Along with three rape convictions and a string of prison sentences for theft and robbery, he was given a two-month jail term last year for running a taxi service illegally.

The suspect was arrested shortly after he had dug up a plastic bag containing several pairs of handcuffs, bullets and a .22 firearm. Police believe he was either preparing to flee or to carry out another crime.

Mr Cholet, 51, who has refused to answer police questions, was due to be placed under formal investigation in connection with the murder last night.

Miss Zetterberg’s father said his arrest was a “relief”. He added: “This past week has been very difficult emotionally. There have been a lot of tears and a lot of love.” Described by her family as intelligent and fun-loving, Miss Zetterberg was spending a year in Paris to perfect her French. She paid for her studies by working as a waitress in a café and as a babysitter.

With police investigating the rape of another 19-year-old Swedish student by an unlicensed taxi driver near Paris in February, concern has swept through France’s Swedish community.

Gunnar Lund, the Swedish Ambassador, said that Paris was dangerous for single women. “You shouldn’t be out alone at night. You need to make sure to stay in groups and take every possible precaution,” he added.

French detectives are reviewing unsolved crimes – including the murder in 2002 of a 24-year-old bank manager and the disappearance of a nine-year-old girl in 2003 – to see if any may be linked to Mr Cholet.

In 1989, he was sentenced to 18 years in jail for the rape of a 21-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl. Since his release in 1999, he has been convicted of four minor offences.

The Justice Minister said that his record was an argument in favour of stricter laws promoted by President Sarkozy.Serge Portelli, a member of the magistrates’ union, said: “It is shocking, not to say indecent, that the Justice Minister profits from an odious crime to publicise problematical laws.”

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