How did an IIT Madras graduate’s American dream end in tragedy?
- Team TOI Plus
- Updated: Feb 16, 2026, 10:03 IST IST
For nearly a week, anxious messages travelled between California and Karnataka.
A missing-person alert circulated across neighbourhood groups. Volunteers with boats scanned the waters of Lake Anza, while drones hovered overhead and divers prepared to descend. Online forums filled with offers of help, as friends and strangers alike tried to piece together the movements of a 22-year-old Indian-origin graduate student who had not been seen since February 9.
A missing-person alert circulated across neighbourhood groups. Volunteers with boats scanned the waters of Lake Anza, while drones hovered overhead and divers prepared to descend. Online forums filled with offers of help, as friends and strangers alike tried to piece together the movements of a 22-year-old Indian-origin graduate student who had not been seen since February 9.
