Latest news with #SudikshaKonanki
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Criminal drug ring nabbed, gangbanger killed near popular Cancún resort frequented by American tourists
A criminal drug ring in Mexico that frequently terrorized a resort near Cancún popular with American tourists was dismantled following an undercover sting operation by law enforcement. The state attorney general's office in Quintana Roo reported that the undercover operation, carried out in a hotel located in Costa Mujeres, in the Continental Zone - aka the Hotel Zone - nabbed a criminal drug-dealing gang, whose members, they say, "constantly came to this establishment to demand services and threaten staff and sell drugs." The agency said that upon arriving at the lodging center in the pool's bathroom area, police agents were attacked by two alleged members of the gang, who were carrying firearms. One of the alleged criminals lost his life after attempting to attack the agents, while another was arrested. Judge Officially Clears Joshua Riibe In Pitt Student Sudiksha Konanki's Spring Break Dr Disappearance Investigators also seized two firearms, one of them described as exclusive to the military. Read On The Fox News App Following the altercation, police searched to find the other gang members. Reports show the incident allegedly happened at the Riu Palace hotel in Costa Mujeres, though the resort would not confirm if this was related to its establishment. Young American Tourists' Cause Of Death Revealed After They Were Found 'Motionless' At Beach Resort "Due to this case being under investigation and due to the prosecutor's office being the one who sent the official statement, we just can share its own statement," the resort shared in a statement with Fox News Digital. "This was an isolated situation, it was solved. The only person who lost his life was a suspected criminal." This latest incident comes after a University of Pittsburgh student vanished off a beach at the Riu Republica hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, during a spring break trip in March. Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from Loudoun County, Virginia, was last seen walking on a beach outside the five-star resort in the early morning hours of March 6. Oklahoma College Students Say They Were Drugged At Cancun Resort Pool Bar In Vacation Nightmare It was later revealed that the college student went swimming during a red-flag warning with a male hotel guest, who was considered a witness in Konanki's disappearance, but has since been cleared of any wrongdoing. Click Here To Download The Fox News App The parents of Konanki sent a letter to La Policia Nacional, the Dominican national police force, nearly two weeks following their daughter's disappearance, stating that "Dominican authorities have concluded that Sudiksha is believed to have drowned." Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment. Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin contributed to this article source: Criminal drug ring nabbed, gangbanger killed near popular Cancún resort frequented by American tourists
Fox News
04-04-2025
- Fox News
Criminal drug ring nabbed, gangbanger killed near popular Cancún resort frequented by American tourists
A criminal drug ring in Mexico that frequently terrorized a resort near Cancún popular with American tourists was dismantled following an undercover sting operation by law enforcement. The state attorney general's office in Quintana Roo reported that the undercover operation, carried out in a hotel located in Costa Mujeres, in the Continental Zone - aka the Hotel Zone - nabbed a criminal drug-dealing gang, whose members, they say, "constantly came to this establishment to demand services and threaten staff and sell drugs." The agency said that upon arriving at the lodging center in the pool's bathroom area, police agents were attacked by two alleged members of the gang, who were carrying firearms. One of the alleged criminals lost his life after attempting to attack the agents, while another was arrested. Investigators also seized two firearms, one of them described as exclusive to the military. Following the altercation, police searched to find the other gang members. Reports show the incident allegedly happened at the Riu Palace hotel in Costa Mujeres, though the resort would not confirm if this was related to its establishment. "Due to this case being under investigation and due to the prosecutor's office being the one who sent the official statement, we just can share its own statement," the resort shared in a statement with Fox News Digital. "This was an isolated situation, it was solved. The only person who lost his life was a suspected criminal." This latest incident comes after a University of Pittsburgh student vanished off a beach at the Riu Republica hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, during a spring break trip in March. Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from Loudoun County, Virginia, was last seen walking on a beach outside the five-star resort in the early morning hours of March 6. It was later revealed that the college student went swimming during a red-flag warning with a male hotel guest, who was considered a witness in Konanki's disappearance, but has since been cleared of any wrongdoing. The parents of Konanki sent a letter to La Policia Nacional, the Dominican national police force, nearly two weeks following their daughter's disappearance, stating that "Dominican authorities have concluded that Sudiksha is believed to have drowned." Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment. Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Yahoo
Americans traveling abroad on spring break should know 3 crucial things to stay safe: expert
As Americans plan spring break trips abroad after U.S. student Sudiksha Konanki's disappearance, a Secret Service veteran and travel safety expert offered guidance for staying safe on vacation. "I think when we talk about travel security, whether it's study abroad or for spring break, there's a number of things that students, or anybody, needs to be careful of when they're going to these types of locations," Bobby McDonald, a Secret Service agent for more than 20 years with experience on presidential, vice presidential and dignitary protection, told Fox News Digital. Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student from Virginia who was on spring break in the Dominican Republic, disappeared from the Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana in the early morning hours of March 6. American College Student Sudiksha Konanki's Disappearance In Dominican Republic: Timeline McDonald, a criminal justice professor at the University of New Haven, advised spring breakers to stay close to areas they are familiar with while traveling abroad. "You want to try to stay on the property, on the resort, if you will," he said. "Once you get off the property, it's very quickly you can find yourself in an area that you don't want to be." Read On The Fox News App Traveling in groups is also paramount, he added, noting spring breakers should not separate from one another. "You know, we want our students to go out and have a good time and blow off steam, but you've got to be so, so careful. And, again, run in packs with your group," McDonald said. "Stay in and around the hotel. If you're at the hotel and something was to go wrong, know where you would go. "For example, I believe that they had a power outage the one night at the hotel where the young lady was staying at, and reports are indicating that everybody went to the beach to kind of cool off. Everybody was out there in a pack, hopefully, kind of dealing with that situation and looking out for one another." Turks And Caicos Travel Warning Issued As Migrants Descend On Popular Vacation Spot In Droves Several guests at the Riu Republica during the time of Konanki's disappearance posted on their social media accounts about the power and water outages at the five-star resort. D'Lani Sweeney, who was a guest at the resort when Konanki vanished, told Fox News Digital the situation was "chaotic" at the resort. The resort said the power outage played no role in Konanki's disappearance, saying power was restored before Konanki was reported missing. "The electrical outage occurred during the early hours of Tuesday, March 4, to Wednesday, March 5, specifically at 1:27 a.m.," Marc Miralles Pons, a spokesman for Riu Republica, told Fox News Digital. "Two hours later, service was restored to 70%, while the remaining power supply was fully reinstated on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, specifically at 2:13 a.m., which is before the time of the disappearance." Konanki is believed to have disappeared around 4:30 a.m. March 6. Spring Break Travelers Urged To Take Certain Precautions Amid Search For Missing American College Student If a friend goes missing abroad, McDonald laid out a protocol to handle the situation. "First thing you need to do is you would need to report it to the hotel," he said. "Second, you need to have the police called by the hotel to come and assist with finding that person, and that's as time moves on, you've got to let the U.S. Consulate or U.S. Embassy know. "Anytime we travel outside of the United States, you should have the number of the United States consulate or the United States Embassy where you're going so that you can quickly pull that up on your phone and let the embassy know that you may need some assistance," McDonald added. "You want to get somebody from the State Department involved in this pretty quick if someone in your party goes missing." Americans Considering Spring Break Vacation In Mexico Warned Of Murder Spike The last known footage of Konanki came from a security camera and showed her walking with a group of people toward the beach at her resort in Punta Cana. It was considered a missing person case, not a criminal one, authorities said. Disappearances of women like Konanki and Natalee Holloway, who vanished in Aruba in 2005 during a high school graduation trip, have become high-profile cases over the years. Men are not immune from these travel safety guidelines, though, McDonald warned. "I think, traditionally, we think it's more women being targeted," he said. "But, no, I think men are just as susceptible to nefarious activity at locations like this as women are. They've got to be very careful as well." While men who are the last to be seen with a missing woman are often the subject of intense scrutiny, McDonald said security surveillance is now a prevalent part of everyday life, which should give them a measure of comfort. "There are security cameras everywhere now," he said. "So, whether you're on a street corner in New York City, whether you're at the Punta Cana resort, there's security cameras everywhere. So, if you're not doing anything you shouldn't be doing, you don't have anything to worry about. But remember too that a lot of places don't have full coverage of security cameras. In other words, there are bits and pieces along the way."Original article source: Americans traveling abroad on spring break should know 3 crucial things to stay safe: expert
Fox News
20-03-2025
- Fox News
The Disappearance Of Sudiksha Konanki
20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki disappeared while on spring break in the Dominican Republic. Sudiksha is believed to have vanished in the early morning hours of March 6th after she and a group of friends went to the beach. Joshua Riibe, a 22-year-old college student, is believed to have been the last person to see Sudiksha before her disappearance. FOX News National Correspondent Bryan Llenas joins from Punta Cana to discuss the latest updates in this tragic case, and to discuss the current status of Riibe's detainment. Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno If you have a story or topic we should feature on the FOX True Crime Podcast, send us an email at: truecrimepodcast@ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Washington Post
20-03-2025
- Washington Post
American believed to be last person to see missing US student left the Dominican Republic
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Joshua Riibe, a senior at St. Cloud University in Minnesota who is believed to be the last person to see missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki in the Dominican Republic, left the Caribbean country on Wednesday, his lawyers said. Following a trial exceeding five hours, Judge Edwin Rijo ruled Wednesday that Riibe, classified as a witness in a disappearance case , should have full rights under Dominican law and unrestricted freedom of movement.
