The body of nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who committed suicide in Britain after becoming the victim of a hoax, will be handed over to her family within two days by the UK.
A relative of Saldanha who did not wish to be named, said they have been informed by the UK government that the body will be sent to Shirva in Udupi district. “The last rites will be held at Shirva, her husband’s hometown.”
Saldanha, a nurse with London’s King Edward VII hospital, had unwittingly helped to give out information about the pregnancy of Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton when two Australian DJs had called the hospital, pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles. The 46-year-old mother of two had committed suicide after suffering the humiliation of listening to her own voice on radio, being duped by the “Queen”.
Following the outrage over her death, the Sidney-based FM radio channel had approached her family in UK to offer compensation.
Confirming it, Saldanha’s relative said it was up to her husband Benedict Barboza to accept the offer. “Our family is well settled and does not need money, but we demand a proper investigation into the matter.”
Saldanha had shifted to the UK in 2001 along with her husband, an accountant. Her children, Junal, 16 and Lisha, 14, are in UK with their father. Senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes, meanwhile, met the family in Mangalore and Shirva.