Despite nurse's husband calling his mother in India every day, his relatives there had no idea of the strain caused by the prank

The relatives of nurse Jacintha Saldanha have revealed that she told no one in the family about the prank call that has been blamed for driving her to suicide.

Members of the family gathered at the south Indian home of Saldanha's mother-in-law, Carmine Barboza, to console one another after news reached them of the tragedy.

They said that neither Saldanha nor her husband, Benedict Barboza, had talked of the hoax phone call or given any clue that she had been under any pressure or strain.

"Benedict used to call every day but neither he nor Jacintha said anything about what had happened. Everything seemed normal," said Carmine Barboza, 69. "We got a call last night from Benedict informing us that Jacintha had died. He was crying and couldn't speak much. We don't know whether we'll be able to bring her dead body back to India, but we desperately hope so.

"We spoke to Benedict again this morning, and he said he hasn't been allowed to see her body yet because of legal formalities and she'll not be handed over before Monday. We want to bring her dead body to India to perform her last rites."

She said that the couple had spent last new year with the family in Udupi with their teenage children.

"Jacintha was a very caring woman," said Barboza. "She used to call us every Sunday without fail. We just cannot believe what has happened."

Saldanha and her husband were married in 1993 and moved to Muscat in Oman before arriving in the UK nine years ago. Relatives said that the family returned to India every couple of years.

On Saturday, relatives gathered at the Barbozas' smart single-storey home in Sorkala, near the town of Shirva in Karnataka, to grieve and to share their memories of Saldanha. The modern peach-painted house sits amid coconut palms and tidy gardens.

Irene Barboza, Saldanha's sister-in-law, said the family first heard the news on Friday night at about 8pm. Other members of the family made it clear that they were too grief-stricken to talk to journalists.

Staff at the medical college where Saldanha had trained in Mangalore described her as very dedicated. "Jacintha was a very efficient, intelligent and lively personality, who had won laurels in her nursing studies," said Reverend Sister Aileen Mathias, chief nursing officer at the Father Muller Medical College.

Mathias said that, after completing nursing school, Saldanha had gone on to pursue advanced nursing qualifications before moving to Muscat. Later, after moving to the UK, she appeared to have been thriving in London.

Saldanha and her family were active members of the expatriate Konkani community in the UK – people who hail from the Konkan region, which runs down the south-west coast of India. At a Konkani Community Association Christmas celebration in 2009, they were voted family of the day.

Messages of sympathy were being posted in comments threads on news websites in her native southern India on Saturday.

One read: "Dear Benedict and the children. I have no words to console you at this crucial moment. I am shocked to hear the news. I would like to say that I am supporting you all with my prayers. I cannot believe that Jessy is no more. Please trust in the Lord and take courage."

Another wrote: "Jacintha had been my classmate in Mangalore in school and we contacted on Facebook. It is really sad to hear about this tragic incident. May her soul rest in peace."

Father Richard Coelho, administrator of the Father Muller Medical College Hospital, posted a message to the family that said: "It is really shocking to hear that Jacintha is no more. May her soul rest in peace and that you all may have the strength from the Lord to bear this great loss.

"It should not have happened at all because Jacintha is not at fault. May those who are responsible for her death understand the mistake they have committed and ask pardon from the Lord."

Others called for the Indian government to put pressure on the Australian authorities to take action against the radio station.

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