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The International Criminal Police Organization, known as Interpol, has also issued a global alert after Konanki went missing. The yellow notice is for missing persons such as victims of kidnappings or "unexplained disappearances". Investigators intensified their search for Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from India, who went missing during a spring break trip to the Dominican Republic with a group of five others earlier this month.
Both the Dominican police and the FBI are involved in the investigation. Multiple international agencies have been searching for Konanki since she disappeared March 6 as the investigation nears its second week. She was last seen at a hotel around 04:00 AM (local time).
The Dominican Republic National Police said that the security video showed Konanki and her friends entering the beach area in the Riu Republica Resort, where they were staying. Konanki is a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States. She lives with her family in Chantilly, Virginia, located in Loudoun County.
The International Criminal Police Organization, known as Interpol, has also issued a global alert after Konanki went missing. The yellow notice is for missing persons such as victims of kidnappings or “unexplained disappearances". What do we know about the search for Sudiksha? Joshua Steven Riibe, the man who was with Sudiksha at the beach, told prosecutors that he and Konanki were hit by an intense wave and were swept out to sea when the water returned, according to Noticias SIN.
Riibe, a 22-year-old American, is not considered a suspect in the case and has not been accused of wrongdoing. Riibe described a harrowing attempt to save Konanki after they were jostled by the wave and she got tired of swimming. “A big wave came and hit us both and as the water returned, it came back and swept us out to sea," Riibe explained in his account to the authorities.
He said he was trained as a lifeguard, but worked at pools, not at the beach. Riibe further stated that the last he saw Konanki was when she was walking in knee-deep water. He asked if she was ok, but couldn’t hear her answer because he started vomiting up all the seawater he had swallowed.
“After vomiting, I looked around, and I didn’t see anyone. I thought she had grabbed her things and left. I felt very sick and tired.
I lay down on a beach chair and fell asleep because I couldn’t go far," he said. When Konanki didn’t return to her room, her companions initially searched for her before notifying authorities. The group then reported her missing to the hotel staff around 4 p.
m. Konanki’s father urged local authorities to consider alternative explanations for her disappearance, including potential kidnapping or human trafficking. He also expressed doubts about her ability to survive in the water for an extended period, suggesting that other factors may be at play.
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