A man has been arrested for kidnapping a missing real estate agent in New Zealand.

A man has been arrested on charges of kidnapping Yanfei Bao, but there is still no news on the whereabouts of the missing real estate agent from New Zealand. According to the publication Stuff, the man was arrested at the airport. Police said he has been remanded in custody and is due to appear in Christchurch District Court on Monday.

Investigation and witnesses

Bao was last seen on Wednesday morning. Chief of Detectives Nicola Reeves said in a statement that the investigation is ongoing and several people are assisting police with interviews. As part of those interviews, police are looking for witnesses to a silver Mitsubishi sedan with license plate number DPH101. "We are interested in observations of the vehicle from mid-week to last night, but are particularly focused on its whereabouts on Wednesday, July 19, in the areas of Wigram, Hornby, Tai Tapu, Halswell, Redcliffs and New Brighton," Reeves said.

Suspicions and financial difficulties

Bao's sister, Huafei, said the family suspected the kidnapping was related to the availability of cash from a buyer who wanted $600,000 ($550,949) from China to buy the property. From conversations with Huafei's sister, she concluded that Bao was having financial difficulties. Huafei is hopeful after hearing about Bao's kidnapping. "The most important thing I want is to find my little sister and know that she's okay," Huafei said sobbing, speaking to Stuff.

Searches and witnesses

Police are looking for witnesses to a silver Mitsubishi sedan with license plate number DPH101, especially Wednesday and Sunday in the Wigram, Hornby, Tai Tapu, Halswell, Redcliffs and New Brighton areas. Meanwhile, police are continuing to investigate a house linked to Bao's disappearance in the Christchurch suburb. In an overnight operation, police confirmed they had seized a vehicle of interest to the investigation and searched two properties, one in Brindwr and one in Wigram. Several people are assisting police, police said. The large bungalow on Iriquois Place in Wigram is set back into a yard. There is a garden shed to the front. A resident told Stuff he saw Bao's car parked on the street Tuesday afternoon, the day before Bao disappeared. He said he saw the same car on Wednesday morning parked in a similar spot. He believed he saw a folded gray coat in the passenger seat.

Addressing the public and talking to a friend

While Stuff previously reported that Bao spoke to a friend 45 minutes after the latest sighting, REINZ CEO Jen Baird said real estate companies take the safety of their staff very seriously. "I'm sure this situation will increase our focus on this issue. All of us in the real estate industry are keeping Yangfei's family, friends and colleagues in our thoughts and prayers, and hope that she will be found safe." At 11:16 a.m. Wednesday morning, Bao called her friend Jin Tian and had a four-minute long conversation with her. During the conversation, Bao asked Tian how someone she worked with could transfer money from China in cash to buy a house. The Press has seen a screenshot showing the date, time and duration of the call. Tian told The Press in an exclusive interview that the conversation was in Chinese and Bao sounded normal, with nothing to indicate anything was wrong.

The ongoing investigation and the family's desperation

Bao was going door-to-door at an address on Vickerys Road at 10:30am on Wednesday when she disappeared in the suburb of Wigram. Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves said Friday that one of her phones was found several kilometers west of the southbound freeway near Blakes Road. At a news conference Friday, Reeves said police are "increasingly concerned" about Bao and are treating her disappearance as unconfirmed. Police have received 40 tips from the public and are looking into the information. Bao's bewildered family from China said they were desperate. Bao's younger sister, Huafei Bao, said: "My mother has been crying since then and has fainted several times, and my father is desperate. We are ordinary people. What can we do? We are so far away." Police contacted Huafei on Saturday night for details about Bao's ex-husband in China, but had received no further updates on Sunday morning. Anyone with information that could help police with their investigation is asked to come forward.

This article originally appeared on Stuff and is reprinted here with permission.