Indian student missing in Dominican Republic: CCTV shows her puking in hotel; person of interest wants release

The tragic and mysterious case of Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student who went missing while on a spring break holiday in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, has now turned into a complex case with conflicting accounts from her friends and mounting concerns from her family.

On March 6, Konanki, a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States, was last seen at the Riu Republic Resort in Punta Cana town.

Now, a CCTV footage obtained by local outlet Noticia SIN, shows her at a bar hours before she disappeared

In the clip, a woman, reported to be Konkani, could be seen covering her mouth with her hand, hunching over a patch of grass, seemingly vomiting.

In the same clip, she could be seen with a group of friends along with a man identified as Joshua Riibe, a ‘person of interest’ in the case, as per a report by Noticia SIN. She is also seen hugging one of her friends. Meanwhile, Riibe, seen in white clothes, could be seen confronting another man outside the bar.

In another clip, Konkani and Riibe could be seen walking arm-in-arm, wearing the same clothes.

Meanwhile, US federal law enforcement agencies continue to work with authorities in the Caribbean country in the probe into her disappearance.

Despite an extensive search, her body has not been found.

Family asks Dominican officials to declare daughter dead

The family of the missing 20-year-old has asked police in the Dominican Republic to declare her dead, according to media reports.

The Konanki family sent a formal letter to authorities Monday, acknowledging there is no suspected foul play involved in Konanki’s presumed death after she vanished from a Punta Cana beach in the early hours of March 6, New York Post reported.

Meanwhile, Dominican Republic Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso interviewed Joshua Riibe – who has not been named as a suspect but is believed to be the last person to see her – over the weekend for more than six hours and the questioning is expected to continue with a local prosecutor. 

Riibe told police he was drinking with Konanki on the beach and they were kissing in waist-deep water when they were pulled out to sea by a strong tide.

Riibe said he was a former lifeguard and swam her into shore.

He told investigators he vomited upon reaching the beach and that Konanki said she was going to fetch her things. When he looked up, she was gone. He said he was later surprised to hear of her disappearance.

Riibe's parents have accused Dominican officials of detaining him “under irregular conditions” without translators or legal counsel, saying he has been confined to a hotel room with police surveillance for more than a week.

They said Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud University, has been repeatedly taken to the police station and interrogated, adding that he has “fully cooperated” with police.

(With inputs from PTI)