Police were tight-lipped on the vehicle’s appearance and would not comment on the extent of the search for the missing man.

But newspaper Aftonbladet reported that several men had jumped out of a foreign-registered van after forcing the victim’s car off the road.

At least one of the kidnappers was armed with a chainsaw, the newspaper said.

“We are looking for the vehicle right now and we are questioning witnesses at the scene. It’s an ongoing operation,” police press spokesman Hesam Akbar told news agency TT.

And just after 15:30, authorities confirmed they had arrested a man suspected of involvement in the kidnapping. 

“I can't say more because we are looking for more people,” police spokesperson Alvin Näverberg told TT.

As of 16:00 on Friday evening the man who was abducted had not yet been found.