Bengaluru, 16 Feb

The family of 22-year-old Indian postgraduate student Saketh Sreenivasaiah, found dead in the US days after going missing, is still in disbelief and wants to personally travel to Berkeley to collect his body.

Saketh, from Karnataka, had been missing since 9 February while enrolled in the Master of Science programme at the University of California, Berkeley.

“They are unable to believe that he has really passed away. He had spoken to them a day before he went missing, and everything seemed normal. He never hinted at stress or problems,” MLC Arathi Krishna, who met the parents, told PTI.

The family has no relatives in the US and fears that if the body is simply sent back, the investigation may slow down. “They want to go personally to ensure a proper investigation is carried out, identify the body, and speak with the university and police authorities. They have requested that the probe be expedited and taken seriously,” Krishna said.

Saketh’s backpack, containing his passport and laptop, was discovered on a doorstep in the Park Hills neighbourhood, according to The Berkeley Scanner. Earlier, local police had appealed for any information regarding his disappearance.

The Indian Consulate in San Francisco confirmed the recovery of the student’s body in a social media post on Saturday (local time). Krishna is assisting the family in securing an emergency visa so they can travel to the US immediately, as they struggle to come to terms with the sudden loss.