New details have emerged in the disappearance of 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student who vanished on March 6 while on a spring break trip in the Dominican Republic. Law enforcement officials assisting in the investigation revealed to CNN that there were other people on the beach at the Riu Republica Hotel in Punta Cana when Ms Konanki went missing.
Notably, the search for Konanki has entered its seventh day, with authorities from the US, Dominican Republic, and India collaborating on the effort. The Indian-origin student was last seen early on March 6, and her disappearance has sparked a massive search operation by air, sea, and land.
New video evidence has revealed that there were additional people on the beach around the time Ms Konanki went missing, apart from the young man who claimed to have been with her. Investigators are now working to identify these individuals and are urging them to come forward with any information they may have about her disappearance.
Based on the evidence, authorities are now considering the possibility that she may have interacted with others on the beach. Initially, Dominican officials treated Ms Konanki’s disappearance as a potential drowning. However, the general prosecutor’s office has announced that they are broadening their investigation to include the possibility that her disappearance may have been more than just an accident.
Her disappearance comes nearly two months after a tragic incident at the same location. On January 18, four tourists drowned at the Arena Gorda beach due to strong currents, according to the Dominican Republic’s Civil Defence Agency. The agency reported on Facebook that the powerful currents had swept the tourists away, highlighting the hazardous conditions at the beach.
Who is Sudiksha Konanki?
Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student, was reported missing while on spring break in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. According to her father, Konanki had travelled to Punta Cana ahead of her pre-med studies at the University of Pittsburgh, where she majors in chemistry and biological sciences.
A high-achieving student, Ms Konanki graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in 2022 with a diploma in biological sciences. Her family, originally from India, has been living in the United States as permanent residents since 2006.
Ms Konanki is described as 5 feet 3 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. She resides in Ashburn, Virginia. Authorities are urging anyone with information about her disappearance to come forward.