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The last person to see University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki before she vanished had his passport seized by authorities in the Dominican Republic, according to a new report.
Officials on the Caribbean island confiscated Joshua Riibe’s travel documents nearly 10 days after Konanki was last seen with the 22-year-old Minnesota college senior on the beach near their RIU Hotel & Resort on March 6.
The Iowa native says he has been cooperating with authorities as they continue the search for the 20-year-old Indian national.
“I’m just trying to help them out,” he told NBC News. “The ocean is a dangerous place.”
Attorneys for Riibe acknowledge his passport being confiscated. The St. Cloud State University student is paired with police escorts “permanently” and has been forced to remain at the hotel during the investigation.
Riibe is believed to be the last person to see Konanki before she went missing, saying the two had gone into the water during an overnight escapade which included cuddling and kissing before they were met by rough waters.
“So no, he is not free to leave,” Riibe’s lawyers told the outlet.
Riibe had been detained by police under “irregular conditions,” his parents Albert and Tina claimed.
Riibe was questioned by the nation’s attorney general’s office, sharing details of the overnight adventure the two shared on the beach on March 6 at around 4 a.m.
Surveillance footage captured the two walking arm-in-arm alongside friends as the group headed toward the beach.
The friends remained there until around 5:50 a.m. when they headed back to the hotel, leaving Riibe and Konanki behind.
Follow the latest on the search for missing Pitt student Sudiksha Konanki:
The newly formed duo had ventured out into waist-deep waters before they were swept out to sea by a big wave.
The pair struggled to resurface as Riibe claimed to have grabbed Konanki and brought her back closer to shore, swallowing sea water in the moment.
“I was a lifesaver. I grabbed her and pulled her out,” he told authorities according to a transcript of the interview obtained by Dominican Republic’s Noticas Sin.
After getting them back to knee-deep water, Riibe says he made his way onto the beach where he threw up because of the salt water he had ingested.
Riibe claimed his last recollection of Konanki was her walking at an angle through the water over to where she placed her belongings before going into the water.
“The last time I saw her, I asked her if she was OK,” he said. “I didn’t hear her answer because I started vomiting all the sea water I had swallowed.
Riibe had passed out on the beach before waking up hours later and returning to his room.
Konanki was reported missing by the friends she traveled with at around 4 p.m.
Officials later discovered clothing believed to belong to Konanki around a set of beach chairs at the resort.
A white netted sarong draped over a beach chair and a pair of beige flip-flops covered with sand next to the leg of the sunlounger were uncovered during the investigation, according to photos obtained by CDN.
The beachwear, which bears a striking resemblance to the clothing the Virginia native was last seen wearing in surveillance footage taken on the night she disappeared, shows no signs of tampering, authorities told the outlet.
Police have not filed any charges in the case.
