Search intensifies for missing Indian-origin student Sudiksha Konanki in Dominican Republic
Authorities have intensified their search for Indian-origin student Sudiksha Konanki, who went missing last week while on spring break in the Dominican Republic. She is a University of Pittsburgh student.
The 20-year-old woman is suspected of having drowned after her clothes were discovered on a beach where she was last seen.
Two police sources familiar with the investigation said that the clothing was found on a portable beach bed near the location where Konanki was last spotted, according to ABC News.
A legal permanent US resident and Indian citizen, Konanki, disappeared early March 6 while vacationing in Punta Cana with a group of students from Loudoun County, Virginia. The group had returned to the beach around 4am after visiting a nightclub.
The other women in the group returned to their hotel around 5:55am, and security footage confirmed their return, the news outlet said.
Reports stated that a man remained on the beach with Konanki. He told police that they had gone for a swim but were caught by a large wave. He claimed he returned to the beach, felt unwell, and fell asleep on a beach bed.
When he awoke, Konanki was missing. Security footage shows him returning to his hotel room at approximately 9:55am. Authorities have stated that “he is not considered a suspect.”
The investigation was being treated as an “accident,” according to the chief of the Dominican Republic’s Civil Defense. Search efforts were being expanded to cover more beaches and water areas. Officials believe that Konanki may have drowned.
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The last known sighting of Konanki on security camera footage was around 4:15am on Thursday. The US embassy in the Dominican Republic alerted the local authorities about her disappearance on Friday. Police have questioned her friends who were present at the time, and no charges have been filed against them.
A joint investigation was underway, involving the FBI, the US Embassy, the Dominican National Police, and the Dominican Prosecutor’s Office.
Investigators plan to re-interview all individuals involved, including hotel staff and the man with whom Konanki was last seen, and are reviewing all security footage from the group’s arrival on the island.
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