Massive Search Effort Continues For Missing Student Sudiksha Konanki

India-West News Desk

RICHMOND, VA – A massive search effort is underway by air, sea, and land as authorities scramble to locate Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student who disappeared while vacationing in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

As of early March 11 more than 300 officers, specialists, tactical units, and aquatic search teams were searching the surrounding area of the hotel for any information about the woman’s whereabouts, according to a post on social media by Dominican Republic National Police.

The possibility that she may have drowned looms large, but officials are still searching while the family is urging other explanations, including the possibility of kidnapping or human trafficking, CNN reported.

Konanki’s parents, who flew from Virginia where they live, to Punta Cana, along with family friends, remain desperate for answers. Her father, Subbarayudu Konanki, described her as a dedicated student who had planned to pursue a medical career, CNN said.

Konanki was last seen on the beach near the Riu República Hotel in the early hours of March 6. Surveillance footage showed five of her companions leaving the area around 4:55 a.m., but she remained behind with a man in his 20s, according to sources familiar with the investigation. Video later captured the man exiting the beach alone.

Authorities have interviewed him, though he is not considered a suspect. He reportedly told investigators that both he and Konanki went into the ocean, but he left the water feeling ill and fell asleep on a lounge chair. Her sarong-style cover-up was later found on a nearby chair, yet no immediate signs of violence were detected, CNN noted.

The Dominican Republic National Police, working alongside the country’s general prosecutor’s office, the FBI, and the U.S. Embassy’s international liaison, has classified her disappearance as an “accident.”

President Luis Abinader announced a specialized ocean search operation, while Civil Defense spokesperson Jensen Sánchez suggested that if Konanki had drowned, her body could take more than a week to resurface. However, Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman cautioned against drawing premature conclusions, emphasizing that other possibilities should not be ruled out.