Indian student Saketh Sreenivasaiah’s roommate at University of California, Berkeley, in the United States has shared a heartbreaking post after his body was discovered in Lake Anza following a days-long search.
22-year-old Saketh, originally from the Indian state of Karnataka, went missing in America six days ago. Early Sunday morning, February 15, (IST), the Indian Consulate in San Francisco confirmed that the young postgraduate student had been found dead by local authorities.
Indian student’s UC Berkeley student roommate shares grieving note
Soon after the news broke out, Sreenivasaiah’s roommate at UC Berkeley, Baneet Singh, also took to his LinkedIn post to share the devastating news with those concerned about Saketh’s missing status.
Just a day earlier, Singh shared the word via social media that the Indian student was last spotted near Lake Anza in the Berkeley Hill, urging others to contact him in case they had any information on the matter.
Given the emergence of similar posts and reports from authorities and local US news outlets, and the Indian Consulate’s X post thereafter, the community, especially people of Indian origin, had grown concerned about Saketh’s well-being.
And so, when the worst possible development unravelled as Saketh’s body was recovered from Lake Anza in California, Baneet Singh shared via LinkedIn, “hey all, my berkeley roommate, Saketh Sreenivasaiah , has been found dead by suicide in lake Anza near the Berkeley hills, according to police.”
“Im sorry to share this news, I wish I had a positive update,” he continued. “The entire community has been shocked to the core.”
Since Saketh hailed from India’s Karnataka, he was inevitably left with no option but to spend a great deal of time apart from his family back home. Having completed his undergraduate degree at IIT Madras in the South Asian country, he was pursuing a Master’s degree in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at University of California, Berkeley.
Taking that into account, while also reflecting on Saketh’s behaviour before he went missing, Baneet wrote, “Life as an international student is tough, man.”
Looking back at how Saketh had “stopped caring,” Singh recalled, “There were no signs of anything until the last 2 weeks, when he started eating less and engaging less, only surviving on chips and cookies.”
He also divulged that his roommate had previously invited him to accompany him to Lake Anza, but as he refused to at the time, Baneet regretfully wrote, “Little did I know that would be the same place he’d take his life.”
Remembering the last conversation he and Saketh had shared before he went missing earlier this week, Singh said that he once found the 22-year-old coming back from class with a red bathrobe on.
As he jokingly questioned his choices at the time, he recalled Saketh replying, “I’ve stopped caring man. I’m cold and don’t care what anyone thinks of me. I don’t care about anything.”
Singh thought Saketh was “just being silly as usual,” and laughed it off at the time, especially since his friend “was always up to something silly.” With all that had gone in the last few days, Baneet couldn’t help re-evaluate those last few moments they’d shared back then.
Sharing his own example with others, he added, “Now I know that he really meant it… Take this as a reminder to please reach out to your loved ones and make sure they’re okay. I didn’t expect this from a friend who lived, ate, travelled, laughed and joked with me. It hurts.”
Thanking all those who had reached out to him in the past few days, Baneet confirmed that he’d be going off social media for some time to mourn and spend time with his friends.
Urging others to do the same, he concluded the message, “Take this news as a way to bring together love with friends, instead of sitting in sorrow. Saketh would have wanted that for you all, too.”
Indian student Saketh Sreenivasaiah’s parents expected in the US
Singh also divulged in the same post that he was working with authorities to help fly Saketh’s family from India to America on an emergency visa.
Similarly, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco shared via their official X account early Sunday morning (IST), “The Consulate stands ready to provide all necessary assistance to the family, including coordination with local authorities and arrangements for the repatriation of mortal remains to India at the earliest.
“Our consular officers are in direct contact with the family and will support them with all required formalities and services.”
What happened to UC Berkeley student Saketh Sreenivasaiah?
The distressing case of the Indian student’s disappearance was brought to light this week by local US news outlets suggesting that he was last seen around February 9 or 10, 2026. As per SFGate, Saketh was last spotted in the 1700 block of Dwight Way on Tuesday (US time).
Meanwhile, The Berkeley Scanner (TBS) reported that a search party was at work near Lake Anza in connection with the case at hand. Saketh is also said to have been upset about a relationship, as per the report. Citing a reader’s claims, the outlet stated that his backpack, passport and laptop was found on a doorstep in the Park Hills neighbourhood next to Tilden Regional Park.
On Saturday afternoon (US time) or early Sunday morning (IST), the days-long search involving sonar, drones and divers came to an end after a body was recovered from Lake Anza, as per TBS.
Although the report didn’t definitively name the victim, posts from Baneet Singh and the Indian Consulate appeared to confirm that it was, in fact, Sreenivasaiah’s body.
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