The Indian Consulate said it will provide all assistance to the family, including for the repatriation of mortal remains to India.
The 22-year-old Indian student, Saketh Sreenivasaiah, who went missing in the United States since February 9, was found dead in Lake Anza near the Berkeley Hills by the local police, India’s mission in San Francisco said on Sunday.
Sreenivasaiah, a post-graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, hailed from Tumakuru in Karnataka. He was last seen near a lake in the Tilden Regional Park in California.
In a post on X, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco said, “The Consulate deeply regrets to inform that local police have confirmed the recovery of the body of the missing Indian student, Saketh Sreenivasaiah. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this profoundly difficult time.”
It further added that the Indian mission is ready to provide all the necessary assistance to the family in coordinating with local authorities and arranging for the repatriation of Sreenivasaiah’s mortal remains.
“Our consular officers are in direct contact with the family and will support them with all required formalities and services,” the Consulate added.
The update from the Consulate came merely 24 hours after it expressed deep concern over the 22-year-old’s disappearance. The mission had said that it was in touch with Sreenivasaiah’s family and with the local authorities.
Saketh’s father, Sreenivasaiah, said he last spoke to his son on February 9. “We still haven’t been able to locate him. We are in touch with his roommates and others. We have written to the government seeking support and assistance to find our son,” he told news agency PTI.
Sreenivasaiah’s parents wrote to Karnataka chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh on February 13, seeking the state government’s cooperation and assistance. They stated in the letter that their son’s roommates had searched all known locations and, after confirming he was untraceable, lodged a formal complaint with the Berkeley Police Department.
The Karnataka government on Saturday requested the ministry of external affairs to extend all necessary assistance. Rajneesh said in a letter to foreign secretary Vikram Misri, “It is requested that the ministry of external affairs, through the Consulate General of India in San Francisco, extend all necessary assistance, including coordination with local law enforcement and facilitation of support to the family.”
