Indian UC Berkeley Student Saketh Sreenivasaiah Found Dead in Lake Anza
Saketh Sreenivasaiah, a 22-year-old Indian international student pursuing a master's degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering at UC Berkeley, was found dead in Lake Anza at Tilden Regional Park on February 14, 2026, six days after he was last seen near campus. His death drew urgent concern from the Indian Consulate General in San Francisco, prompted searches spanning multiple agencies, and opened a broader conversation about the mental health pressures facing South Asian international students in the United States.
Body Recovered from Lake Anza Six Days After Student Goes Missing
The American Bazaar reported that the body of Saketh Sreenivasaiah, a native of Karnataka who had completed his undergraduate degree at IIT Madras before enrolling at UC Berkeley, was recovered from Lake Anza by Alameda County Sheriff's Office dive teams on February 14, 2026. Sreenivasaiah had been reported missing on February 12, and Berkeley police confirmed he was last seen on the 1700 block of Dwight Way on February 10. His backpack, containing his passport and laptop, was found on a doorstep in the Park Hills neighborhood adjacent to Tilden Regional Park, raising immediate concern among those conducting the search. The Contra Costa County Coroner's Office formally confirmed his identity on February 16. Sreenivasaiah had been enrolled in UC Berkeley's chemical and biomolecular engineering master's program and had earned his undergraduate degree from one of India's top-ranked engineering institutions. His death sent a wave of grief through Berkeley's Indian and South Asian student community. University officials expressed condolences and pointed to counseling resources available to students, while community organizations called for more targeted outreach to international students who may face particular barriers in accessing mental health support during periods of personal crisis far from home and family. [2]
Roommate's Account Sheds Light on Warning Signs and Student Mental Health
NextShark's reporting provided a deeply personal account of Sreenivasaiah's final weeks through the recollections of his roommate, Baneet Singh, who wrote a widely shared LinkedIn post after the student's death. Singh recalled that in the two weeks before Sreenivasaiah went missing, he had begun eating less and withdrawing from social interactions, surviving mainly on chips and cookies rather than regular meals. In one exchange that Singh described as carrying more weight than he realized at the time, Sreenivasaiah returned from class wearing a red bathrobe and said: he had stopped caring, felt cold, and did not care what anyone thought of him anymore. Singh took the remark as characteristic lightheartedness and only later recognized it as something more. Singh, who noted that life as an international student is genuinely tough, was working with authorities to help bring Sreenivasaiah's family from India to the United States on an emergency visa. NextShark situated the tragedy within broader data showing that suicide has become the leading cause of death among AAPI youth, with rates doubling between 1999 and 2021. The outlet noted that AAPI individuals remain among the least likely demographic groups to seek professional mental health help, a pattern that community advocates say contributes to undetected crises among international students living far from home and their established support networks. [5]
🗳️ Indian Consulate Steps In as Multi-Agency Search Spans East Bay
Gulf News reported that the Consulate General of India in San Francisco moved quickly to express concern about Sreenivasaiah's disappearance and positioned itself as an intermediary between the student's family in Karnataka and local California authorities. In a statement posted on social media platform X, the Consulate said it was deeply concerned and confirmed it was in touch with the family and also in contact with the concerned local authorities to locate the student. The multi-agency search coordinated by the Berkeley Police Department and the East Bay Regional Park District reflected the seriousness with which authorities treated the case from its outset. Police issued public appeals for information about Sreenivasaiah's whereabouts, describing him as six feet one inch tall, approximately 160 pounds, with short black hair and brown eyes, and said he had reportedly been distressed over a relationship at the time of his disappearance. The consulate's active involvement underscores the frequency with which Indian diplomatic missions in the United States have been called upon to assist in cases involving Indian students in recent years, as enrollment from India at American universities has reached record levels. Community groups in the Bay Area used the case to renew calls for universities to strengthen proactive outreach to international students and for consulates to develop more formal partnerships with campus counseling and crisis services. [3]
Sources: [2] The American Bazaar · [5] nextshark.com · [3] Gulf News