Get all the very latest news in Ireland straight to your email every single day Sign up! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

The sister of an Irish tourist who vanished in India almost a month ago has vowed to continue her search insisting: “I’m not leaving without her.”

Liga Skromane, who is married and lives in Dublin, has not been seen since she walked out of a wellness retreat on March 14.

The 33-year-old had been diagnosed with post-traumatic depression and was staying at the Dharma Ayurveda Centre for Advanced Healing in Kerala.

But she skipped a yoga class she was due to attend with her sister Ilze and went for a walk – taking only her sandals and leaving her passport and wallet.

Ilze yesterday told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “It’s now three weeks and five days since she went missing but we will not give up the search.

“For the first few days the police weren’t taking it seriously, they didn’t conduct a proper search, but by day 10 a special investigation team was formed.”

(Image: SWNS - Bristol)

Liga, originally from Latvia, got into a rickshaw outside the Kerala centre at 7.30am and is believed to have been dropped an hour later at Kovalam beach in Trivandrum 20 miles south.

She spoke to two people along the shore at around 11.30am – but has not been seen since.

Ilze said: “There have been no sightings, that is the most mysterious thing of all. She was seen arriving, and seen walking along the beach but not seen leaving.

“I stayed in Kovalam for two weeks to get an idea of the place. Locals told me it would have been impossible for her to go anywhere without being noticed.

“That beach is busy from early in the morning. There are a lot of tourists, it’s very vibrant. There are people out selling coconut water. It’s not a quiet beach.

“Because of Liga’s depression you would notice her because she would look down at the ground, you could see there was something wrong with her.

“The two witnesses who saw her said she seemed very sad. Our biggest worry is she was too trusting. She could have gotten into a car with somebody.”

Ilze said despite her sister’s history of depression and “previous incidents”, she was convinced she was not in a state of mind to want to do herself harm.

(Image: SWNS - Bristol)

She added: “When we first came here Liga had really severe insomnia. She couldn’t get any rest for months and this drew her into anxiety.

“But here in India she was already sleeping good, five to six hours a night. She wasn’t in that state of mind, she was showing signs of improvement. She came to India to get better. She didn’t come to India to end her life.”

Liga’s Irish husband Andrew Jordan also travelled to India to help find his wife, who works in public relations and has lived in Ireland for five years. Just days after Liga vanished the recovery of a body from nearby Colachel in Kanyakumari triggered suspicion that it might be her.

But her relatives confirmed it was not the missing tourist. Last week Ilze, who lives in Cork, filed a Habeas Corpus petition with the Kerala High Court and after a police report was submitted this was extended to April 13.

She said: “They were asked to intensify the search and expand it to other states. I am not coming back to Ireland without my sister. It is very difficult for my parents back in Latvia. I think not knowing is the hardest part but I am in contact with them every single day.

“I have strong faith that if we keep searching we will find something.

“The only explanation for how she disappeared without being noticed is she got into a car.

“We will keep sharing videos and posting on social media. The power of people can never be underestimated.

“All of Liga’s college friends are helping with this. That is the only way we know how to keep this thing alive and keep the search going.”