Police in Canada have made their first arrest in the case of a missing Chinese student, who was abducted in an armed kidnapping at the weekend.

Wanzhen Lu, 22, has not been seen since Saturday when three masked attackers attacked him with a stun gun in the city of Markham, Ontario, north of Toronto. A fourth person waited in a nearby vehicle.

On Tuesday, police announced the arrest of a 35-year-old man in connection with Lu’s abduction. He has not been identified, nor has he been formally charged.

Police say Lu, who also goes by the name Peter, was attacked as he and a friend walked towards an elevator in the parking lot under his condominium. Lu was then dragged into a nearby vehicle and taken away. His female companion was unharmed but police said she was traumatised.

At a media conference over the weekend, police said they were shocked by the “significant” violence used to abduct Lu.

On Monday, York regional police released photos of the vehicle they believe was used in the kidnapping: a black, wheelchair-accessible Dodge Caravan. The vehicle was recovered on Sunday following tipoffs from the public.

ARMED KIDNAPPING - We need your help to locate 22yr-old Wanzhen LU, kidnapped by 3 masked men, one armed with a taser from an underground parking garage at 15 Water Walk Dr, Markham. Suspect van is black Dodge Caravan with stolen plate: CEAR350. Call 866-876-5423 x7541 with info pic.twitter.com/37bFP0jhb8 — York Regional Police (@YRP) March 24, 2019

Police tweeted a photo of Lu, 22, who was wearing a black shirt, blank pants and glasses at the time of his abduction.

Officials also provided images of the attackers, including one of the attackers wearing a bulky jacket and a black balaclava obscuring the face.

The kidnapping could draw increased scrutiny from Chinese officials, as the two countries remain locked in a diplomatic row. In late December, Canadian officials detained Meng Wanzhou, a telecoms executive at Huawei, following a request by American law enforcement. Since the arrest, two Canadians have been detained in China, a move largely seen as a retaliatory by Canada and its allies. In recent weeks, China has halted imports of canola from Canadian farmers – a major blow to the multibillion-dollar industry.

Lu’s family were travelling to Canada, Constable Andy Pattenden of York regional police told the Canadian Press. There had been no contact with the kidnappers, he said, and no ransom demands had been made.