The Detective Inspector leading the investigation into a missing Christchurch real estate agent said they aren’t ruling out further charges against the man charged with kidnapping.

Yanfei Bao has been missing since last Wednesday.

A 52-year-old man appeared in the Christchurch District Court today charged with unlawfully taking away Bao without her consent, with intent to cause her to be confined.

He was granted interim name suppression and remanded in custody to re-appear next month.

Following his court appearance, Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves told Chris Lynch Media that police were still treating the investigation as a missing persons case and they were still looking for Bao.

“We’ve got an open mind in terms of where this investigation is going. We are not rolling out further charges in relation to the man charged with kidnapping. In saying that, we’re also not ruling out that we are looking for other people.

“We’re worried and very concerned about the safety of her well being. Given that we have now charged somebody with kidnapping, we know that she is the victim of a criminal offence.

“That does increase our concerns about her well being. Until we have a definitive answer, I’m not going to speculate on whether she is alive or not. We are very much hoping to return her home safe and well.”

Reeves said the silver Mitsubishi sedan, registered as DPH101, was recovered at Christchurch airport.

Police apprehended the 52-year-old man attempting to flee the country.

“We are looking for sightings of that vehicle particularly on Wednesday, the 19th of July. We’ve got a number of suburbs that we believe the vehicle has been in or been travelling through and we’re seeking help from the public for sightings of that vehicle.”

Reeves said on the back of the vehicle on the boot is a diamond shaped yellow sticker with a black Kiwi bird inside.

“It’s one of those gimmicky type stickers and I point that out because it is quite distinctive and I hope that will jog somebody’s memory on that day in particular and the days afterwards.

Reeves said “what I can say about the person who has been charged with kidnapping is that we have a number of inquiries around that that still need to take place. We’ve got a lot to establish in terms of his movements in the lead up to Wednesday.”

Reeves said the response by the public had been “phenomenal.”

“We get a real sense that everybody is interested in making sure that Ms Bao is returned home safely.

She said since the case went public, police had received over 120 piece of information.

“We’ve got a very dedicated team here who are working through every single piece of that, working out what is and is not relevant.”