Riu Hotels & Resorts in the Dominican Republic tourist town of Punta Cana is drawing flak for its TikTok advertisement promoting a flash sale of its property, The Daily Mail reported.
Sudiksha Konanki's family suspects she may have been kidnapped.(HT File)
The move comes as the FBI is searching for Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old Indian-American student who reportedly disappeared from the Riu República Hotel's beach over a week ago. She was last seen on March 6, walking towards the beach.
Netizens asked the Riu Hotels & Resorts to help authorities find the student rather than looking for ways to sell off the property.
The advertisement offered slashed prices across the company's portfolio of properties, including the Riu República Hotel, which the Dominican authorities are investigating.
A double room at the five-star resort can be rented for just $88 per night, the report said. The advertisements promoted the properties at rates starting at $95, including a 10% discount.
One of the resort's advertisements read, “From 95 USD! Don't miss out on the exclusive RIU Week deals!”
The property has been drawing flak for lacking electricity and water for days before the young girl's disappearance. The hotel had said in a statement that Konanki’s disappearance coincided with a power outage that prompted multiple guests to head to the beach.
Social media responds
---------------------
Commenting on the post, a user wrote, “Focus on the lost American Indian student from RIU Punta Cana first.”
A person handling the hotel company's TikTok account seemed to share the public sentiment. He replied with a heart emoji to a comment from a user who replied, “Lol, please.”
The company did not respond to The Daily Mail's request to comment on its TikTok flash sale.
According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Konkani is a US permanent resident from Chantilly, Virginia. Her parents, Subbarayudu and Sreedevi, flew to Punta Cana after she was reported missing and have asked authorities to widen their search and investigation. The family said she and five other female university students travelled to the Dominican Republic on March 3.