A 22-year-old Indian student, Saketh Sreenivasaiah, was discovered deceased in California, six days following his disappearance. Sreenivasaiah, originally from Karnataka, was pursuing a master’s degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. His body was found around a kilometre away from the campus, triggering a citywide search in areas near Lake Anza and the Berkeley Hills.
The Indian Consulate in San Francisco confirmed the recovery of his body and pledged to assist in repatriating his remains to India promptly. Expressing deep regret, the Consulate conveyed condolences to Sreenivasaiah’s family and friends during this challenging period. They assured full support, including liaising with local authorities and facilitating the repatriation process.
During the search, a backpack containing Sreenivasaiah’s passport and laptop was discovered near a residence close to Tilden Regional Park, not far from the university campus. Online efforts were also mobilized by the community, with a Reddit thread established to aid in locating him. Sreenivasaiah, an alumnus of IIT Madras, had his schooling at Bengaluru’s Sri Vani Education Centre.
Described as six feet one inch tall, weighing approximately 160 pounds, with short black hair and brown eyes, Sreenivasaiah was known for his invention of a “microchannel cooling system for hyperloop and a method thereof,” as indicated on his LinkedIn profile. Remembered by friends and colleagues for his quick wit, humility, brilliance, and loyalty, his untimely demise concludes a sorrowful six-day search effort.
