Who was Saketh Sreenivasaiah? Indian-origin UC Berkeley student found dead in US
22-year-old Saketh Sreenivasaiah, an Indian postgraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley was found dead on Sunday. Sreenivasaiah, who hailed from Karnataka had been reported missing earlier this week before local authorities confirmed the recovery of his body.In a statement posted on X, the Consulate General of India in San Francisco said it “deeply regrets to inform that local police have confirmed the recovery of the body of the missing Indian student, Saketh Sreenivasaiah.” It extended “heartfelt condolences” to his family and said it would provide all necessary assistance, including coordinating with local authorities and arranging for the repatriation of his mortal remains to India.
After days of search operations involving sonar, drones and dive teams, authorities recovered a body from Lake Anza on Saturday afternoon. The Contra Costa County coroner’s office is now handling the case. The reasons behind the tragedy have not yet been disclosed by American police.
Who was Saketh Sreenivasaiah?
Saketh Sreenivasaiah was a 22-year-old Master’s student pursuing Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.Key details about Saketh:
- He was enrolled in the MS PDP’26 programme in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at
UC Berkeley . - He completed a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Madras in 2025.
- He had been missing since earlier this week and was last seen in the 1700 block of Dwight Way in Berkeley.
- His backpack, containing his passport and laptop, was found in the Park Hills neighbourhood near Lake Anza.
- Authorities had classified him as an at-risk
missing person during the search operation. - A volunteer dive team working with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office located the body in Lake Anza.
In a LinkedIn post, his roommate confirmed the identity of the body recovered from the lake and described how the “entire community has been shocked to the core”. He wrote that Saketh’s mood had shifted in recent weeks, saying he had “started eating less and engaging less” and had “stopped caring” about life.“Life as an international student is tough, man,” he added, urging others to check in on friends and loved ones.
