Mangalore:
The body of Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who committed suicide in London after a prank call by two Australian radio presenters, will be buried in Shirva town of coastal Karnataka on Monday, family sources said on Saturday.
"The coffin carrying Jacintha Saldanha's body is expected to arrive here from London via Mumbai on Sunday afternoon. It will be taken to Shirva on Monday for the last rites and funeral at the local cemetery around 4 pm," Udupi Superintendent of Police M. Boralingaiah said, citing family sources.
Ms Saldanha's husband Ben Barboza and son Junal, 16, and daughter Lisha, 14, will accompany the coffin from London to Shirva, about 50 km from Mangalore.
"The coffin will be kept in Mangalore for the night at a mortuary or a place the family will decide. The place could also be the residence of Jacintha's mother, who lives in a suburb of Mangalore with her son and another daughter," Mr Boralingaiah said.
Security arrangements are being made in Mangalore and at Shirva to maintain law and order. Shirva is the hometown of Mr Barboza.
"We estimate about 5,000 people to attend Jacintha Saldanha's funeral, including VIPs and local officials," Mr Boralingaiah said, quoting the family.
Ms Saldanha was found dead on December 7 in the quarters of King Edward VII Hospital in central London, where she was working as a senior nurse.
On December 4, a pair of radio hosts from Australia phoned the hospital, pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles, and sought information about Prince William's pregnant wife, Kate Middleton, admitted for acute morning sickness. Ms Saldanha answered the phone and transferred the call to another nurse, who divulged details about Ms Middleton's condition.
UK newspapers have reported that Ms Saldanha left three suicide notes. One reportedly criticises her senior colleagues at the hospital where she worked.