Saketh Sreenivasaiah, the 22-year-old UC Berkeley student from Karnataka, was found dead in the US six days after he went missing. In a post on LinkedIn, the student’s roommate, Baneet Singh, in the last two weeks, Saketh ate less, ‘surviving on chips and cookies’.
Saketh had allegedly said he had ‘stopped caring’ when Baneet Singh asked him about wearing a robe to class, reported Hindustan Times.
Noting that life as an international student is tough, Singh wrote that there were no signs of distress or anything in Sreenivasaiah until the last two weeks. He said that the 22-year-old had “started eating less and engaging less, only surviving on chips and cookies”.
(Livemint could not independently verify the authenticity of the LinkedIn post)
Saketh’s last conversation with roommate
Baneet Singh also recalled the final exchange he had with Saketh Sreenivasaiah. He said he saw the 22-year-old returning from class wearing a red robe.
Curious, Singh asked Saketh why he was wearing a robe to class. Sreenivasaiah responded, “I’ve stopped caring, man. I’m cold and don’t care what anyone thinks of me. I don’t care about anything,” reported HT.
Singh regretted laughing at his roommate’s remarks at the time, saying he thought “Saketh was just being silly as usual”.
Who was Saket Sreenivasaiah?
Sreenivasaiah, who was pursuing his Master of Science in the Product Development Program at the University of California, Berkeley, was last seen near Lake Anza in the Tilden Regional Park.
His backpack, containing his passport and laptop, was discovered on a doorstep in the Park Hills neighbourhood, according to a report by the news portal. The Berkeley Scanner.
On Saturday, 14 February, the Karnataka government contacted the Centre, seeking support from the Ministry of External Affairs. In a letter to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Chief Secretary Rajneesh requested that the ministry, through the Consulate General of India in San Francisco, provide all necessary assistance, including coordination with local law enforcement and support for the family.
