Newly shared footage of missing student Sudiksha Konanki and the ‘person of interest’ in her case has been released.
Konanki, 20, was on vacation in the Dominican Republic with her five friends when she went missing on March 6, Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said.
The University of Pittsburgh student, who was spending Spring Break in the breathtaking town of Punta Cana, was staying at the adults-only RIU República Hotel.
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She was last seen walking towards the beach ‘arm-in-arm’ with ‘person of interest’ Joshua Riibe, 22, at 4.15am, Dominican National Police report.
It’s understood the pair stayed on the sand when the rest of their group returned to their rooms at around 5.55am, according to CCTV footage.
When Konanki failed to return, the group notified authorities that their friend was missing.
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An investigation was immediately launched into her disappearance.
Although Riibe isn't a suspect and police aren't implying he has committed a crime, the Minnesota St Cloud State University senior, who is thought to have been the last person to see Konanki, has since had his passport confiscated.
He is also under ‘permanent’ police escort, writes The Mirror.
Following the news that Riibe has been ‘confined’ to the luxury hotel, newly emerged footage featuring both him and the Virginia native has been obtained and released by local news outlet Noticia SIN.
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In one clip, the woman could be seen sitting with her friends in a resort bar.
The video also features a man, who appears to be Riibe, struggling outside while another man is seen comforting him, writes The New York Post.
The pair do not interact with each other in the footage and seem to be separated into their own friendship groups.
In another clip, Konanki, who was dressed in white, was joined by three other girls in the RIU Hotel & Resort lobby just hours before she vanished.
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Chad Quinn, a spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has stressed that although Riibe is a ‘person of interest’ in the case, it is different to being a suspect.
“This is not at this time a criminal investigation, so to be clear, he is not a suspect. It is our understanding that he is a US citizen who was vacationing in Punta Cana, not part of the group traveling with the missing person.”
“A number of people have been interviewed by the Dominican National Police with the assistance of the FBI and this is continuing," he continued.
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"Our office will have a presence on the ground today too.”
Riibe claims to have left Konanki on the beach near the resort after spending time together away from the rest of the group, telling NBC News: “I’m just trying to help them out,” adding, “The ocean is a dangerous place.”
Konanki's father Subbarayudu Konanki, who filed the missing person report for his daughter issued a statement last week.
"It’s four days, and if she was in water, she would likely have been strewn to shore,” he told WTOP News.
"She’s not found, so we’re asking them to investigate multiple options, like kidnapping or abduction.”
The investigation into Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance is ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office at 703-777-1021.
UNILAD has previously contacted the Dominican Republic National Police for further comment.
Topics: World News, Crime
Ella Scott