An Indian student has been reported missing in California, prompting a citywide search that has entered its fifth day on Saturday.
22-year-old Saketh Sreenivasaiah, a student from Karnataka pursuing Chemical and Biomolecular engineering at University of California Berkeley, went missing on February 9. Authorities say he was last seen around a kilometre away from the campus.
Later, a backpack, containing Sreenivasaiah’s pasport and laptop, was found near a residence close to Tilden Regional Park, also near the campus. A citywide search was launched, with a focus on Lake Anza and the surrounding Berkeley Hills areas. Community members and classmates have mobilised online to aid in the search.
The Indian Consulate in San Francisco expressed concern about the missing student and said that it is in touch with his family and the local authorities.
Sreenivasaiah, an IIT Madras alumnus, was pursuing a master’s degree at Berkeley. He is described as six feet one inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds, with short black hair and brown eyes.
In a question raised by MP Asaduddin Owaisi in the Lok Sabha about student safety abroad, the Ministry of External Affairs highlighted its efforts towards keeping Indian students safe.
In its answer to the question by the MP, the MEA had stated, “The Government accords high priority to safety and security of Indian students abroad and monitors incidents of violence against them.”
“Indian Missions/Posts also take steps to maintain regular contact with Indian students enrolled in foreign universities in their jurisdictions and conduct pre-orientation sessions with them upon their arrival in foreign lands to brief them on potential challenges, risks, and precautions to be taken while studying overseas, including issue of advisories from time to time,” the statement read.