The removal of 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh scholar, has gripped the Dominican Republic, as officials enhance their investigation into the puzzling event. Konanki, a beautiful and ambitious pre-med scholar, vanished in the early hours of Thursday from the shore at the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana. Now, police are questioning the young gentleman who was last seen with her, hoping to piece together the issue of her disappearance.
An young dentist’s vanishing
Konanki, previously from India and a US citizen since 2006, had traveled to the Dominican Republic for spring break with friends. Described by her father as an optimistic and devoted pupil, she had aspirations of becoming a doctor. But her tempting prospect was immediately thrown into confusion when she failed to return from a late-night excursion to the shore.
Surveillance film paints a chilling timetable: at 4: 15 am, Konanki and seven people were seen entering the shore. By 5: 55 am, five people and one man had left, leaving her alone with a young person. The last known images of him shows him leaving the area only at 9: 55 am. What happened in those critical periods remains mysterious.
The man in question
The young man, whose personality has not been disclosed, is now under investigation. Officials have questioned him about the events that transpired when he and Konanki were only. While he provided an initial speech, the authorities are expanding their research to verify his version of events, while reported by CNN.
However, a large search procedure is underway. The Dominican National Emergency System has deployed rescue groups, robots, and marine products, scouring the Bávaro beach for any indication of Konanki. But so far, there’s been no sign of her.
A family’s determined appeal
Konanki’s parents, Subbarayudu Konanki, has traveled to the Dominican Republic, pleading for officials to enhance their research. ” They’re only searching the water, but I fear something else happened—kidnapping, trafficking. We don’t believe she could live this much in the ocean”, he said.
With growing pressure from US and Indian officials, the case has sparked concerns about safety in the Dominican Republic, a state already under a Level 2 travel advice due to violent crime challenges.
