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Indian-origin student missing: What do we know so far about Sudiksha Konanki case
Sudiksha Konanki was last seen on March 6 amid a power outage at Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana, a well-known beach resort town in the Dominican Republic.
Authorities intensified their search for Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student originally from India who went missing earlier this month while on a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic with five others. Both the Dominican police and the FBI are involved in the investigation.
Konanki was last seen on March 6 during a power outage at the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana, a popular beach resort town. Dominican police have been re-interviewing individuals who were with her in the early hours of that morning at the beach in front of the hotel.
The hotel said that her disappearance coincided with the power outage, which led several guests to head toward the beach.
What are the facts about her disappearance?
Sudiksha Konanki disappeared before dawn at a beach near her hotel after she and other guests went outside during a power outage, according to authorities, quoted by Associated Press.
Her family said that she left her phone and wallet with friends, despite always carrying her phone.
Konanki and five other female students arrived in the Dominican Republic on March 3. Dominican President Luis Abinader addressed the situation during his weekly press briefing, saying, “We are concerned,” and that “all government agencies are searching.” He also mentioned the latest information from a witness, stating, “What he says, according to the reports, is that a wave, while on the beach, crashed into them.”
Abinader defended the country’s tourism safety, highlighting that over 11 million visitors travel there annually with minimal incidents.
Meanwhile, civil defence director Juan Salas dismissed media reports claiming that Konanki’s clothes had been found, telling El Nuevo Diario that the reports were false.
Where does the investigation stand?
Dominican police have been reinterviewing individuals who were with Sudiksha Konanki before her disappearance. Investigators are using drones, helicopters, and detection dogs to search the waters off the island’s east coast.
On Monday, Dominican President Abinader said that the last person with Konanki reported that a wave crashed into them while they were on the beach. Meanwhile, civil defence director Salas confirmed that investigators have not found any of her clothing.
Sudiksha Konanki, a US permanent resident of Indian origin, lives in Chantilly, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC. Her parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi Konanki, have called for a broader investigation into her disappearance.
Meanwhile, University of Pittsburgh officials stated that they have been in touch with the Konanki family and authorities in Virginia, offering their support in the search efforts.
(With inputs from AP and Reuters)
