Punta Cana/New Delhi, Mar 17 (UNI) Authorities in Punta Cana, a resort town in the Dominican Republic, conducted a reenactment of the events leading to the disappearance of Indian tourist Sudiksha Konanki at the Riu República hotel with the investigations focused on Joshua Steven Riibe, the last person seen with Konanki.
At 2 am Riibe was taken to the beach to provide a chronological account of the events on March 6, helping authorities gather crucial details for the investigation, according to Dominican Today.
Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student, arrived in Punta Cana on March 3 with five friends for spring break. She was last seen on the beach of the Riu República Hotel on March 6, with some of her clothing later found on a nearby beach chair.
Riibe, a 22-year-old American tourist, has been identified as a person of interest due to his inconsistent statements, including claiming that both were swept away by a wave but he returned to shore alone.
Riibe’s passport has been confiscated, and he remains under guard at his hotel while the investigation continues.
Dominican authorities, in collaboration with international agencies, are working diligently to locate Konanki and resolve the case.
According to witnesses, the young woman was last seen around 4:15 a.m. on March 6, after heading to the beach. Riibe, who claims to have been with Konanki that night, told investigators they were both swept away by a wave while in the water.
“We were waist-deep in water, talking and kissing a little bit,” Riibe said in an interview with local authorities, according to a transcript obtained by NBC News. “A wave hit us and swept us out to sea. I tried to help her breathe, but I was swallowing water too.” Riibe, who worked as a lifeguard in the past, said she managed to get Konanki to shore, but then lost contact with her.
“The last time I saw her, I asked her if she was okay. I didn’t hear her answer,” he said. “I looked around and saw no one. I thought she had taken her things and left.” However, hours later, it was learned that Konanki had disappeared, triggering an intensive search in the area.
Dominican authorities have avoided calling Riibe a suspect, though they are keeping him under strict surveillance.
“For now, no one is considered a suspect.” Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s Office of Loudoun County, Virginia, where Konanki is from, has sent detectives to Punta Cana to assist in the investigation.
Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, has denied any involvement in Konanki’s disappearance. “I’m just trying to help them,” he told NBC News from the resort where he’s staying. “The ocean is a dangerous place.”
The case has raised concerns in the United States and the Dominican Republic, where authorities insist it is a missing person investigation and not a criminal case. Meanwhile, Konanki’s family is waiting for answers about the young woman’s whereabouts, whose fate remains a mystery.
Riibe has given versions of events that are “very suspicious” and full of inconsistencies, according to lawyer Félix Portes.
UNI RN