Indian-Origin UC Berkeley Grad Student Found Dead Near Lake Anza

A UC Berkeley graduate student from India who went missing earlier this week has been found dead near Lake Anza in the Berkeley Hills, bringing a tragic end to an intensive multi‑agency search.

The student has been identified as 22‑year‑old Saketh Sreenivasaiah, a Master’s candidate in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering who hailed from Karnataka and previously completed his B.Tech in Chemical Engineering at IIT Madras. He was last seen on February 9 near Lake Anza, after which his backpack containing his passport and laptop was discovered close to a residence near Tilden Regional Park, prompting focused search operations with drones, divers and sonar.

In a statement on X, the Consulate General of India in San Francisco confirmed the recovery of his body and offered condolences, saying it was coordinating with local authorities and assisting the family with repatriation of the remains to India. Friends and community members have expressed shock at the loss, with calls for greater attention to the mental‑health and support needs of international students navigating academic and personal pressures far from home.