A 20-year-old Indian woman named Sudiksha Konanki traveled to the Dominican Republic alongside five other female students to vacation at the Punta Cana beach. Konanki, who is a legal resident of the United States, and lives in Loudoun County, Virginia, was last seen walking on the Caribbean coast on March 6 before she went missing. It is now believed that Konanki drowned in the ocean.
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According to local authorities, and reported by the New York Post, Sudiksha Konanki, was last seen on Thursday, March 6 at around 4:50 a.m. Reportedly, Konanki and six others were at a Punta Cana beach on Wednesday night. At some point, most of them returned to their hotel. Konanki, however, stayed at the beach with another person, according to ABC News.
It is believed that, at that moment, Konanki and the other unidentified person went for a swim. While on the water, they were hit by a huge wave, which might have caused Konanki to drown. Several outlets, including Listin Diario, a Dominican outlet, reported that a young man was accompanying Konanki when she disappeared. He alongside Konanki's friends has been questioned by authorities.
Search And Investigation Continues
The Loudon County Sheriff's Office spokesman Thomas Julia, however, believes that the drowning theory is only speculation. She claims "there's no evidence to support that conclusion at this time." Loudoun County alongside other Dominican Republic agencies is currently leading the search efforts. Helicopters and drones are being used to help find Konanki.
"The investigation is looking at everything from an accident to foul play and interviews are ongoing, along with review of video and phone records," Julia told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "The best outcome is that she is found alive and well."
The Indian embassy in the Dominican Republic has also intervened in the investigation, taking the lead, according to Julia. The University of Pittsburgh, where Konanki is currently studying, is also collaborating with authorities, offering their full support.
"University officials are in contact with Sudiksha Konanki's family as well as authorities in Loudoun County, Virginia," the school said in a statement. "We have offered our full support in their efforts to find her and bring her home safely,"
Sudiksha Konanki is 5 feet 3 tall and has brown eyes and black hair, as per a missing persons poster. She was last seen wearing a brown two-piece bikini, big round earrings, a metal designer anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right hand, and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her left hand.
