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Sudiksha Konanki
Indian-origin student goes missing during Dominican Republic trip. Photo Courtesy: Sudiksha Konanki Facebook page

Indian-origin student Sudiksha Konanki goes missing during Dominican Republic trip, search on

| @indiablooms | Mar 10, 2025, at 10:07 am

Authorities in the Dominican Republic are searching for an Indian-origin student after she went missing from a resort where she was visiting with her friends for her spring break.

20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki is a student at the University of Pittsburgh in the USA.

According to reports, she was last seen on the beach of the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana.

Konanki disappeared at 4:15 a.m. Thursday local time, Dominican National Police said in a statement as quoted by CNN.

The statement said surveillance cameras on the beach detected her with other young adults.

Police are interviewing those seen with Konanki to establish exactly where the maritime search should be focused, including a young man who entered the water in an effort to corroborate his version of events alongside other “investigative actions” yet to be made public, the statement said.

Sudiksha Konanki's Father Reacts

Konanki’s father, Subbarayudu Konanki, told CNN that his daughter had gone to Punta Cana for spring break, ahead of pre-med studies at Pittsburgh.

“My daughter is a very nice girl. She’s ambitious. She wanted to pursue a career in medicine," he told CNN.

“So far, the authorities, multiple authorities here in the Dominican Republic have searched in the waters. They searched using helicopters and other tools. They also searched in the near bay, bushes, trees. They went multiple times around the same areas,” Subbarayudu Konanki said.

The hotel chain where she was staying said it is helping authorities in the investigation process.

The sheriff’s office in Loudoun County, Virginia, said she was staying at the resort with five other female students from the university.

“The embassy of India in the DR has taken the lead working with our state department and law-enforcement on the ground. Our office is supporting those efforts and continuing to investigate locally,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement to CNN.

University Of Pittsburgh Urges People To Share Information

The University of Pittsburgh urged people to share information about the Indian student with the Loudoun County Sherrif’s Office.

“University officials are in contact with Sudiksha Konanki’s family as well as authorities in Loudoun County, Virginia, and we have offered our full support in their efforts to find her and bring her home safely,” the University of Pittsburgh said in a statement emailed to CNN.

Indian Embassy Assisting Authorities

The Indian Embassy in the Dominican Republic is extending all assistance to the authorities in the country to search for the student.

 

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