Crossword Genius

Indian vehicle arriving unloaded and not returning (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tonga

'indian vehicle' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'arriving unloaded and not returning' is the wordplay.
'unloaded' suggests removing the centre (the content of the word is unloaded).
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'returning' says the letters should be written backwards.
'arriving' with its middle removed is 'ag'.
'ag'+'not'='agnot'
'agnot' written backwards gives 'TONGA'.

(Other definitions for tonga that I've seen before include "Polynesian monarchy, member of the Commonwealth" , "Island nation" , "The Friendly Islands" , "Horse-drawn vehicle" , "South Pacific island group country" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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