Villain travelling north in luggage van knew (5)
I believe the answer is:
knave
'villain' is the definition.
(I know that knave is a type of villain)
'travelling north in luggage van knew' is the wordplay.
'travelling north' says the letters should be written in reverse (in a down clue, letters go up).
'in' indicates a hidden word.
'evank' can be found hidden inside 'luggage van knew'.
'evank' written backwards gives 'KNAVE'.
(Other definitions for knave that I've seen before include "Jack - scoundrel" , "Jack - the cad!" , "Rat" , "Dishonest man; jack" , "A rogue as in playing cards" .)