A “young man” who went swimming with University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki before she vanished from a Punta Cana beach is being questioned by investigators, according to reports.
Konanki and the man were seen swimming together at the beach near Riu Republica Resort sometime before she was last spotted there going for a walk in a brown bikini just after 4 a.m. on March 6, Dominican Republic outlet Listin Diario reported.
The pair had gone swimming together the morning she disappeared, according to the report.
The 20-year-old was visiting the Dominican Republic over spring break with a group of classmates from Pitt when she disappeared without a trace while walking on the beach Thursday morning.
She and her friends were seen on surveillance footage near the beach before she went missing, and they are also being interviewed by police to corroborate the man’s story, according to Listin Diario.
It is also unclear whether or not the man being interviewed is one of her classmates from school.
An Indian national from Chantilly, Virginia, Konanki is described in missing posters as 5-foot-3 with black hair and brown eyes.
In addition to her distinctive brown bikini, she was last seen wearing bracelets on both arms and an anklet.
Local authorities from numerous agencies have deployed helicopters and drones to scan the waters near the beach, while crews have been scouring the white sands for any sign of what may have happened.
Agencies from Konanki’s home in Virginia, along with the Indian embassy, have been assisting with the search.
The University of Pittsburgh has also been coordinating with her family.
“University officials are in contact with Sudiksha Konanki’s family as well as authorities in Loudoun County, Virginia, and we have offered our full support in their efforts to find her and bring her home safely,” the school said in a statement.
A haunting photo taken before her disappearance showed Konanki smiling at a Punta Cana resort shortly before she vanished — wearing the same bikini she went missing in.
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