Missing Sudiksha Konanki's family suspects she may have been kidnapped, ‘If she was in water, she would likely have…'
BySumanti Sen
Mar 11, 2025 06:15 AM IST
Sudiksha Konanki's father said his daughter's personal items were left with her friends, “which is unusual because she always carried her phone with her.”
The family of missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki reportedly believes she may have become a victim of a crime. The 20-year-old Indian-origin woman mysteriously disappeared while on a spring break holiday in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. She was last seen at the Riu Republica Resort beach on March 6 around 4:50 am.
Sudiksha Konanki's family suspects she may have been kidnapped (@avaaz_official/TikTok)
Sudiksha Konanki's family suspects she may have been kidnapped (@avaaz_official/TikTok)
Local authorities believe Konanki may have drowned after jumping in the ocean, but a complaint seeking to intensify search efforts made a more sinister suggestion, stating that “while it is possible that Sudiksha drowned, there is a growing suspicion that there may be a crime, specifically the possibility of kidnapping,” WTOP reported.
‘If she was in water, she would likely have been strewn to shore’
“It’s four days, and if she was in water, she would likely have been strewn to shore,” Konanki’s father, Subbarayudu Konanki, told the outlet. “She’s not found, so we’re asking them to investigate multiple options, like kidnapping or abduction.”
Subbarayudu, along with his wife and two family friends, flew from his home in Virginia to Punta Cana after learning that his daughter was missing. They filed the criminal complaint urging Dominican authorities to “take immediate steps to investigate not only the possibility of an accidental drowning, but also the possibility of a kidnapping or foul play.”
“Her belongings, including personal items like her phone and wallet, were left with her friends, which is unusual because she always carried her phone with her,” the complaint said.
An earlier report by the Dominican Republic outlet Listin Diario said that investigators were questioning a “young man” who was seen swimming at the beach with Konanki sometime before she was last seen. However, it remains unclear if the man is one of the missing woman’s classmates from school. The group of classmates from Pitt who were on the trip with Konanki are reportedly being questioned too, to corroborate the man’s story.
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