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Missing student from K’taka found dead in US
A 22-year-old Indian student, Saketh Sreenivasaiah, missing in the US for six days, has been found dead. Investigations are ongoing.
A 22-year-old Indian graduate student who was missing for the past six days in the United States has been found dead, officials confirmed.
The Indian Consulate in San Francisco confirmed the death and said it was coordinating with authorities and the family to repatriate his remains to India. “The Consulate deeply regrets to inform that local police have confirmed the recovery of the body of the missing Indian student, Saketh Sreenivasaiah,” it said in a statement, adding that it would provide all necessary assistance.
Sreenivasaiah, hailing from Karnataka, was pursuing a master’s degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of California, Berkeley . He disappeared on February 9 after he was last seen about a kilometre from the campus. Authorities later recovered his body following an intensive search that focused on areas including Lake Anza and the Berkeley Hills.
Police in California have not announced further findings. Police have not publicly disclosed the cause of death, and the investigation remains ongoing.
During the search, his backpack was discovered near a residence close to Tilden Regional Park. The bag contained his passport and laptop, according to information shared by authorities during the search efforts.
In a LinkedIn post, his roommate, Baneet Singh, described noticeable changes in Sreenivasaiah’s behaviour in the final weeks before he went missing. “There were no signs of anything until the last 2 weeks, when he started eating less and engaging less, only surviving on chips and cookies,” Singh wrote.
Singh also recalled what he described as their last conversation, which left a lasting impression. “I asked him ‘why are you wearing a robe to class’, with a smirk on my face,” Singh wrote. “He said, ‘I’ve stopped caring man. I’m cold and don’t care what anyone thinks of me. I don’t care about anything.’”
Singh reflected on the meaning of that response after learning of his death. “Now I know that he really meant it. The opposite of life was never death, it was indifference. To stop caring. Which led to him not caring for his own life, either,” he wrote.
According to Singh, Sreenivasaiah had also invited him to visit Lake Anza weeks earlier. “Little did I know that would be the same place he’d take his life,” he wrote, expressing regret and grief.
Authorities, however, have not confirmed any details regarding the cause of death.
Sreenivasaiah had an academic background marked by notable achievements. He was an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology Madras and had completed his schooling at Sri Vani Education Centre in Bengaluru.
His LinkedIn profile indicated that he was among six inventors listed on a patent for a microchannel cooling system designed for hyperloop technology, reflecting his involvement in advanced engineering research.
He was described by those who knew him as intelligent and thoughtful, with strong academic promise.
His disappearance had also drawn attention from authorities in India. Shalini Rajneesh, a senior Karnataka government official, wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs requesting diplomatic assistance during the search.
In Parliament, Asaduddin Owaisi raised concerns about the safety of Indian students studying abroad. In response, the ministry said Indian missions and consulates maintain regular contact with students and provide guidance on challenges, risks and precautions associated with studying overseas.
“Indian Missions/Posts also take steps to maintain regular contact with Indian students enrolled in foreign universities in their jurisdictions and conduct pre-orientation sessions with them upon their arrival in foreign lands to brief them on potential challenges, risks, and precautions to be taken while studying overseas, including issue of advisories from time to time,” the ministry said.
