Jacintha blames DJs for death in note left behind

December 16, 2012

Jacintha_Saldanha
London, December 16: The Mangalore-origin nurse, who was found dead after a hoax call to a UK hospital treating Prince William's pregnant wife Kate, left a note blaming the two Australian DJs behind the prank for her tragic death.

In one of the three apparent suicide notes left by 46-year-old Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse expressed her deep anger at the Australian radio DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian and blamed them for her death, Daily Mail reported today, quoting sources close to her family.

Jacintha, a mum-of-two, was found hanging with a scarf at her staff accommodation at the King Edward VII's Hospital in London, where 30-year-old Kate was being treated for severe morning sickness.

Within an hour of the hoax call, one of the DJs telephoned the hospital back and spoke to Jacintha again, telling her they had played a prank which they were about to broadcast, the report said.

The revelation is believed to have left Jacintha, who had no experience of dealing with the media, feeling confused and agitated, it said.

The DJs, who are believed to be at safe addresses following death threats, have apologised for the tragic repercussions of their prank.

The paper reported that in another note, Jacintha had criticised "aspects of the hospital staff," and singled out two individuals for blame.

Although the hospital has insisted that no senior member of staff blamed Jacintha for falling victim to the prank and provided her with support, it is understood she may have been reprimanded by colleagues by email, it said.

The hospital has declined to comment on the notes, saying senior staff have not seen copies. It is believed the original notes are now in the possession of Scotland Yard, which has produced transcripts for the family.

Sources close to the family said their relationship with the hospital was strained as senior managers had not provided "facts" they requested.

Another friend of the family was quoted as saying that Jacintha may have tried to commit suicide more than once in the 72 hours between the prank and the moment her body with injury marks on one of her wrists was discovered by a colleague.

"She may have tried to kill herself more than once – that's why there are three notes," the friend told the paper.

In her final letter, Jacintha is believed to have asked to be buried in her home village of Shirwa, near Mangalore.

Relatives of Jacintha have spoken of their utter despair at her death and hit out at false internet speculation over the state of her marriage.

50-year-old Mabel, Jacintha's eldest sister, told the daily from Mangalore that although her sister used to stay in the nurses' accommodation while on duty at the King Edward VII's Hospital in Marylebone, she always kept in close touch with her husband and two teenage children -- a son and a daughter -- at home in Bristol.

"She would keep busy with her work, but she only stayed there for convenience and she called them all the time," Mabel said.

Mabel said the family had been so terrified of breaking the news to their frail 70-year-old mother Carmine, who has a heart condition, that they decided to tell her only that Jacintha had been taken ill and had then died peacefully.

"It was very difficult to break the news. She couldn't take it. She was in shock and was just staring at us and then she started crying. Even today she is crying continuously."

Mabel said their younger sister, 44-year-old Gladys, a beautician, was also "totally broken" by the news.

Jacintha stood by Gladys after her husband died and even agreed to adopt her daughter Lisha, now 14, and brought her up as her own to ease the burden on her sister, who was financially weak.


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News Network
December 2,2025

DKSsiddu.jpg

Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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