Headlines
Indian Student Seen at a Bar Before Disappearing; Male Friend Found Intoxicated and Unsteady
By
Renjini Ramachandran
Mystery Deepens in the Disappearance of Indian-Origin US Student During Vacation in the Dominican Republic
The disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki (20), an Indian-origin student from the University of Pittsburgh, who went missing on March 6 while on vacation in the Dominican Republic, has raised suspicions. Sudiksha vanished after visiting the beach with five friends. Recently, her clothes and shoes were found on a chair near the beach.
Now, local media outlet Noticias SIN has released footage showing Sudiksha at a bar shortly before her disappearance. In the video, Sudiksha is seen talking with her friends at the resort's bar. Also visible is Joshua Steve Rybe, a 24-year-old American and a person of interest in the police investigation. The footage shows Joshua appearing intoxicated and unsteady.
Earlier, another video showed Sudiksha and Joshua walking hand-in-hand along the resort’s pathway before arriving at the bar with five friends. Sudiksha is wearing the same outfit in both videos as she was when she went missing. At one point, the video captures Sudiksha bending over as if to vomit.
Additionally, the footage shows Sudiksha happily jumping and hugging a female friend. However, there is no recorded conversation between Sudiksha and Joshua in the video. Joshua is also seen struggling to walk outside the bar, even stumbling backward at one point. After leaving the bar, the group headed straight to the beach, where Sudiksha disappeared.
The netted garment Sudiksha was wearing over her bikini was found near the beach, leading police to speculate that she may have removed it before entering the ocean.
Authorities now suspect that Sudiksha may have drowned, given the length of time she has been missing. However, her family claims that she was abducted.
Following her disappearance, the police took Joshua Steve Rybe into custody for questioning. Despite being under investigation, Joshua maintains that he is innocent, and no formal charges have been filed due to a lack of evidence.












