UC Berkeley master’s student Saketh Sreenivasaiah found dead
Saketh Sreenivasaiah, a student from Karnataka pursuing Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, went missing on February 9. Authorities later recovered his body, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco confirmed.
In a statement, the consulate expressed condolences to his family and assured that all necessary assistance would be provided to repatriate his body to India at the earliest. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this profoundly difficult time,” the statement said.
Search operation
A citywide search was launched around the Lake Anza and Berkeley Hills areas after Sreenivasaiah was last seen about a kilometre away from the campus. During the search, a backpack containing his passport and laptop was found near a residence close to Tilden Regional Park.
Members of the community also mobilised online to assist in the search efforts, with discussions on social media platforms seeking information about his whereabouts.
Academic background
Sreenivasaiah was an alumnus of IIT Madras and had completed his schooling at Sri Vani Education Centre in Bengaluru. He was pursuing a master’s degree at Berkeley at the time of his disappearance.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he was among six individuals who held a patent for inventing a microchannel cooling system for hyperloop technology. He was described by those who knew him as intelligent, humble and loyal.
Student safety concerns
In the Lok Sabha, a question was raised by MP Asaduddin Owaisi regarding the safety of Indian students abroad. Responding to the query, the Ministry of External Affairs said Indian missions and posts maintain regular contact with students enrolled in foreign universities and conduct pre-orientation sessions to brief them about potential risks and precautions.
Further details regarding the circumstances of his death are awaited.
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Increasingly Indian young students / graduates / master graduates are dying for unknown reasons