The police have arrested five people in connection with the abduction of a 49-year-old woman from Hoofddorp, who is still missing.

They have not said what role the five, aged 17 to 37 and from Rotterdam and Almere, are thought to have had in her disappearance.

Investigators believe the women was kidnapped while driving to work on Wednesday. Her black BMW 530e was discovered in Nieuw-Vennep, around 10 minutes from the woman’s home on the Mosselplaat in Hoofddorp. She had left her house at about 8.30 am to drive to her workplace in Beverwijk but never arrived.

Police said they are “not yet able to provide further details” about why they believe the woman was abducted or whether anyone has been identified as a suspect. “We are weighing all the information we share extremely carefully,” a spokesperson said.

Officers have also released a photo and description of the missing woman. She is 1.65 metres tall, with dark brown eyes and long dark brown hair. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing dark clothing.

Earlier reports suggested the police had searched at least one house in connection with the case and fear the woman could be in danger.